Truths and Changes
by Eviefan
Summary: With Superman's knowledge of Jason, the hero wants to be a part of his son's life. Lois remembers everything, and Richard discovers the truth. Will he be able to stay or will their lives change forever? R&R please please. Chapters being Beta read...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Superman Returns and the DC characters there in do not belong to me, I give full credit to DC, and to Bryan Singer for putting forth such an awesome comeback for this series.

**Summary: **A few weeks after the events of S.R. everything is changing for Lois Lane and her family. I am prepared to write more chapters if you, my reader would like, just let me know what you think. No flames please just honest opinion and that will be great.

**Author's Note: **I decided to do a complete revision, and I thank everyone who gave me reviews. I need to learn not to rush things so much, so I am going to do my best to take my time and give more detail, and make things flow a bit better than they did. Again if you could review and be nice, even if you think it's not good that would be great. Thanks goes to all who reviewed on first version.

**Truths and Changes**

**Prologue: **Only a few days had gone by since Superman recovered from his exposure to the Kryptonian land mass he had thrown out in to space. He had been prepared for death that day, knowing that in spite of Lois, Richard's, and Jason's efforts to rescue him from Luthor and his growing continent, he had to go back and rid the world of that danger. The exposure to the Kryptonite filled land mass had indeed caused his death, but thanks to the doctors and nurses who did all they could for him, he was alive now. What Lois had told him while he was in a coma, resulting from his exposure to so much Kryptonite, had also healed him; Kal-El, the last son of Krypton was no longer alone, he had a son, and that knowledge took away all the years of rejection he had felt, both as a young man growing up in Smallville, and even as an adult.

While Superman considered what Lois had told him that day in the hospital, the rest of the world learned of Luthor's plot, and that he was out of prison. That knowledge seemed to raise crime in almost every city in the U.S., as well as abroad. At the Planet, Perry held meetings every morning reviewing what stories he wanted his reporters to cover, and listening to his top reporter Lois Lane who was always one step ahead of everyone else.

Life wasn't slowing down, and aside from covering stories, Lois knew she needed to talk to Superman about her clouded memories, and about Jason. However, lately, there was only time for work during the day and a brief amount of family time with Jason and Richard at night before it was time to go to sleep in preparation for the next busy day. Lois knew she had to tell Richard her secret, something she had never really been sure of until that fateful day that Jason's powers showed themselves, but she was afraid of losing the man she had made a family with; she was afraid of the change that she knew would happen when she did tell him, and she was afraid for Jason, who had always known a stable life until now.

**Chapter 1: Stolen moments in time**

Close to 1am, Superman flew high over the darkened city of Metropolis, whose lights shown as the stars did, only dotting land instead of space. He had just finished helping clean up after an earthquake hit India, killing hundreds before he could get to them. The last week had been non stop for him, and with crime on an increase, he was having a hard time showing up at the _Planet_ for any amount of time before he was needed again.

It had been three days since Superman had last seen his son, and now he descended down from the sky in back of Lois and Richard's waterfront home. He was always careful to arrive long after everyone had gone to bed, neighbors included, so that no one would see him enter the house and gossip. On this night, as he had several nights before the first time he had visited Jason after learning the truth, Superman gently pulled the screen away from the window, setting it on the roof before he opened it. Silently he glided into the room making sure not to cause a breeze which might wake his sleeping son.

Landing soundlessly on the carpeted floor Superman looked around the room noticing all of the model planes. Two or three planes hung from the ceiling on thin pieces of string, and a light breeze stirred them to swing back and forth. There were more model planes on the small book shelf hanging from the wall directly across from the end of Jason's bed, along with several Dr Seuss books, and books by other children's authors, including Kipling, and C.S Lewis. The floor was cluttered with toys, mostly trucks, cars, and building blocks, and across from where he was standing was a small desk with crayons strewn about as well as art paper to draw on.

Superman took a few steps to his right, and knelt down next to Jason's bed. His son was resting on his side, facing away from him, and without waking him he placed his hand on his head gently stroking his soft brown hair. These moments, stolen moments in time, were not enough for him, and Superman knew that he and Lois needed to talk, because they really had not gotten the chance to over the past week. He wanted to know about what his son's life had been like during his long absence, and as he thought about being gone for so long he felt guilty. Lois had been angry at him, angry enough to write an editorial entitled, Why the World doesn't need Superman, and now he knew why. He wondered how much she remembered about their time at his Fortress of Solitude and was pondering that when he felt Jason shift; quickly and gently he moved his hand away as his son rolled over. When Jason settled on his back, Superman put his hand on his small chest, and the little boy hugged his hand holding on tight which warmed his heart in a way it had never been before.

As he had done the first night he had visited his son, Superman simply watched him sleep, seeing a lot of Lois in him which brought a smile to his lips. Jimmy had once told him, on the day he had come back to work, that Jason took after her in that he managed to get into trouble of all sorts, just as she was prone to do from time to time, but now as he slept it was hard to imagine that.

Hearing a far away cry, and then sirens, Superman reluctantly withdrew his hand from his son's grasp. Jason turned his head from side to side but relaxed when his father put his hand back where it had been, except this time over his small hands. There were times when Superman wondered just how much his son knew, and that was why he wanted to talk to Lois, he needed to know if Jason had any of his powers, and if so they would need to figure out a way to protect him. He wanted a part in both of their lives, but he knew that right now it was not possible. Jason was sound asleep, and this time when Superman took his hand away, he didn't move.

Rising to his feet, Superman stayed where he was a moment looking at his little boy. "I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered, and then he leaned down and placed a kiss on Jason's left cheek. Without a sound, Superman walked to the window and floated out of the room, closing the window and replacing the screen before he flew away to find out where the trouble was originating from.

* * *

The next morning at the _Planet_ Clark was looking over an article he had written about some political scandal that the Chief had assigned for him to do yesterday. He wasn't too focused on the article, but more so on last night.

The cries he heard led him down the coast to a boating accident, and by the time he arrived, two men had already died, and a woman and her three children were badly injured. The two men had been drinking and had driven their speed boat right into a small sail boat where the woman and her children were spending time. When he got them to land, they were all three in serious condition, and the most difficult part for him had been the two small children who were both Jason's age. He had always saved people, even children, but now it was different with them, because now he was seeing Jason, and that made him more determined to protect his little boy.

"Grrr," said a small voice from behind his desk chair. Clark jumped, even though he had heard Jason's approach, and that made the little boy laugh a little. He turned around and found his son dressed for school, wearing jeans, and a button down long sleeved shirt, red in color, and on his feet he had on a pair of socks and sandals.

"Did I scare you?" Jason asked as he stood on his tip toes trying to see onto the top of Clark's desk. Clark wanted to lift his son up and hold him on his lap but decided not to for the moment.

"You did manage to do that," replied Clark, before Lois and Richard arrived.

"Jason, Clark is busy," Lois told her son, giving her co-worker and friend a look of apology.

"Don't worry Lois, I was about to finish up on this," Clark assured, but she was already fidgeting with Jason's shirt, tucking it into his pants.

After Lois had finished making sure Jason looked presentable she stood back up and took his hand. "Say goodbye to Clark," said Lois, smiling now.

Richard walked up behind her and gave her a hug, and Clark had a hard time keeping a straight face. He knew Richard was a good man, he had proven that by going to Lex's boat to save Jason and Lois, while Superman saved Metropolis from a potentially disastrous quake caused by the growth of land created from his Kryptonian Crystals. Even with that knowledge, it was still hard for Clark to watch him with the woman he loved or with his son.

"Goodbye Clark," Jason said, and then laughed as Richard lifted him up in the air and placed him on his shoulders.

Clark watched them leave, and turned back to his computer. He quickly scanned his story for errors, and corrected the only two in the three page article, and then hit the print button. When it was finished he found Jimmy and had him run it to Perry's office to make sure it would be approved for tomorrow's paper. Needing time to think, Clark walked out of the news room through the large glass doors, into the elevator lobby. He took one going up, and when the doors closed he launched out of the elevator and went up the shaft, flying out and up into the sky so fast that no one would have been able to see him. Superman didn't know where he was going, but he just needed time to think, and flying had always helped him find clarity to his sometimes jumbled thoughts.

* * *

Not long after he had taken off from Metropolis, Superman landed in Montana which was where his mom and his neighbor from Kansas now lived by a huge lake. Ben had bought a large piece of land out in the middle of nowhere, and it was still strange for Clark to see her living with another man, after the death of his father so long ago. He scanned the house and found his mom alone, and then scanned the surrounding area and found Ben Hubbard on the lake fishing. Superman landed near the house and in a flash he had on his work cloths, and entered the house hearing his mom call out thinking it was Ben.

"Mom it's me," he replied and in a moment Martha entered the large living room of the cabin house she shared with Ben.

Always glad to see her son, Martha gave him a hug and then pulled away to study his face. She could tell he was troubled, and led him a short distance to a sofa next to a small fire place where she had him sit down. After she took a seat to his left she turned to face him and said, "Now then, tell me why you look so worried."

It had always amazed Clark how perceptive his mom was with how he felt, and it always helped him that she had that ability. He didn't know where to start and then he thought of Jason and decided that was the best place to begin. "I guess you knew about what Luthor did," he said, and at her nod he continued. "While I was at the hospital healing, Lois came by, and somehow I heard what she told me." Clark paused for moment thinking about that revelation, and then he focused on his mom who was looking at him intently, ready to hear more. "We had a relationship before I left for Krypton, and she figured out my secret, but it became too much for her to handle so I made her forget that Clark Kent was Superman."

As Clark continued to tell her the events leading up to his time in the hospital, Martha was surprised to learn that he had not told Lois before he left for Krypton, and how upset she was with him. Martha listened as he told her about his fight with Lex and about the land mass that he had taken to space, which had almost been his end. When he got to that part she had to wipe tears from her eyes.

As Clark saw the tears run down her face he hugged his mom for a moment and then when she was ready he told her about Lois's visit. "I was so tired, so defeated about everything, and then I heard her tell me that I have a son," he said.

Martha watched her son as he said those words, seeing the look of astonishment in his blue eyes. "I saw Lois that day walking out of the Hospital with the little boy, and I kept thinking that I was crazy because he looks like you. Well, when you were a small boy."

Clark offered her a smile. "He's a great kid, Mom. Smart, so smart that I wonder if he knows that the only difference between me and Superman is the glasses and the suit I wear."

Suddenly Martha was eager to meet her grandson, though when she asked Clark about that she saw sadness in his eyes. "Tell me," she said as she put her right on his own which he had on his lap.

"He can't know about Superman, and Lois doesn't remember that Clark Kent is Superman, at least I don't think she does. For now, all I have are small moments with him, times when she brings Jason to work with Richard White, the man who has raised him as his son," he said trying not to sound bitter.

Now Martha knew why her son looked so miserable. "Clark, I think that Lois needs to know the truth, I think maybe now she is strong enough to handle that information, because you both need to be able to make decisions for Jason." As she finished saying that Martha remembered about Richard White, and saw how that might make things more difficult than easy. "Is the man she is with now capable of keeping your secret?" When Clark grinned at her she tilted her head waiting to hear why that seemed funny to him.

"I was just thinking about a night not so long ago. I was standing over by my desk and I heard Richard asking Lois about Superman's powers, and then he hinted that maybe I was Superman before they both laughed that idea away." He looked away from his mother and then back at her. "Ben is heading back this way, so I need to go now," he said.

Both of them stood up, and Martha hugged her son. "Let me know when I can start seeing my grandson," she said as they parted. Clark told her he would, and Martha led him to the back of the cabin to a small door there. She opened it for him and stood just outside watching as he took off. She then went back inside and was just sitting back down on the sofa when her husband came in from his fishing. She had not yet told him about Clark and Superman, but she would one of these days.

* * *

As a soft breeze blew into Jason's room, Superman was again kneeling by his bedside softly talking to him while he rested his left hand against Jason's chest. Again, Jason had hugged his hand even in sleep, and Superman wondered somewhere in Jason's subconscious mind, if he knew that he was there watching over him. "I don't know if this will be easy for you to know or not, but I want to know you better. I hope your dad is the kind of man who will stay with us until you can adjust to this change," he said softly referring to Richard.

Superman wasn't sure that Jason would know about his secret, and thought it best for now that Lois and Richard knew the full truth. Then, when they were sure Jason was ready, they could tell him that Clark Kent was his father. One day Jason would know everything, but while Lex Luthor was still about, Superman was not willing to endanger Jason by sharing the secret. The weekend was upon them, and he knew Richard was flying to London to have meeting with the _Planet'_s international head there. He would be gone for a week, which would give Superman time to see Lois and tell her the truth, and then from there determine whether or not Richard could be trusted with the secret.

It was only when he heard a far away rumble that Superman gave his son a kiss on his forehead, and then flew away ready to take care of the world. As he flew into space and began to circumnavigate the earth, he thought about how he would explain sudden absences to Jason once he knew Clark Kent was his father. For now, as he descended into the atmosphere over Thailand and into hurricane conditions, he focused on the task at hand, which was helping people get to safety and trying to snuff out the storm before it had a chance to reach land.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Revelations**

Early on a dreary Saturday morning in the bedroom his parents shared, Jason watched as his daddy finished packing his bags. The five year old boy was sitting on the queen sized bed still wearing his light blue pajamas printed with helicopters and planes of various sorts. His long hair was a rumpled mess, and he had a sad look in his eyes. Jason had known his daddy was going away for a week, and had wanted all three of them to go. Now that he knew his daddy was leaving without them, the usually happy little boy was now very sad. "Mommy and me won't get into trouble if you let us go daddy," he said trying his best to get Richard to let them go.

From the bathroom where Lois was putting her long dark brown hair back into a clip, she heard the last part of what Jason had just said and couldn't help but smile. When Jason got something on his mind that he wanted to do he was hard pressed to get his way, just like she was. Lois liked that her little boy was confident, and that made her think of Superman again. With Richard away for the week she hoped that there would be time for them to talk. They needed to figure out where he fit in as Jason's biological father, but at the same time she was hoping that he wouldn't expect changes all at once. As she finished fixing her hair, Jason walked into the large bathroom looking pitiful. Lois knelt down and hugged him. "Why don't you and I go to the park after we drop daddy off at the airport," she suggested.

Jason seemed to like that idea, and hurried out of the bathroom to go get dressed. As he left, Richard walked in looking very handsome in a gray suit. They shared a kiss, and as it had been the last few times they kissed, Lois didn't feel the same about him, and that made her feel guilty, though she would not let Richard see that.

"So how did you get him so excited?" Richard asked as he pulled away from the woman he loved so he could look at her. Lois wasn't like the two other women that he had dated seriously. She was independent and could take care of herself, which was what had drawn him to her all those years before.

Lois patted his chest. "Mommy Magic," she said and turned around to finish getting ready, only to laugh as Richard tried to tickle her to get the truth from her. She laughed, and had forgotten how good he made her feel. He finally stopped tickling her only when she promised to tell him. After telling Richard the secret to her mommy Magic, the shared another kiss, and again she thought about the current situation. She needed to talk to Superman tonight if possible and there would be no putting that off. Richard needed to know the truth and she knew she couldn't tell him without Superman's permission.

"Help, Mommy," Jason called out from his room.

Seeing that Lois still had a ways to go before she was ready to leave, Richard left her alone to prepare, and headed out of the master bedroom. He walked across the hall and found Jason struggling to get a shirt over his head. "Do you mind letting me help you?" he asked as he stepped over a red plastic truck and a few blocks on his way to his little boy.

* * *

The Metropolis Airport was extremely busy, and after parking her blue Audi in visitor parking, Lois and Richard got out of the car. As he got his luggage, Lois opened the back door on the passenger side, and helped Jason turn off his portable DVD player, which attached to the back of the passenger front seat. Her little boy had been watching Lady and the Tramp, his favorite movie of all times, and was even holding a stuffed animal version of the Tramp.

"Mommy, can Trampster go with me?" Jason asked as she helped him get unbuckled.

Lois smiled at her son and let him take the dog into the airport. When they were all ready, she watched as Jason took Richard's hand and together they headed for the doors leading into the busy building to see his daddy off on his trip.

Once inside the terminal Richard took care of his luggage, and since he had a while to go before his plane took off they went into a gift shop following Jason around as he looked at the neat toys he saw there. One toy in particular, a water filled globe which had a space shuttle and sparkly stars that swirled around when the globe was turned upside down, took Jason's interest, and even though it cost an ungodly amount, Richard bought it for him.

In a small café not far from the gift shop, while Jason rested his chin on the table watching the stars float around his shuttle, Lois gave Richard a hard time about his gift. "What happened to not giving in to his every whim?" she asked in a light teasing tone. Now she was the one holding Trampster and had known that would happen, but like Richard, making Jason feel better was top on her mind, and that was why she had let their little boy bring the stuffed animal with him.

"I could ask you that same question," he replied and for emphasis he reached over and tugged on one of the dog's soft ears. Lois shook her head, about to respond, when they heard Richard's flight announced. They got Jason to put his globe in the box it had come in, and then all three of them rushed to the security check point which Lois and Jason could not go through due to heightened security after the events of 9/11. When they got there, he put his bags down and knelt down hugging Jason first. "Be good for your mommy, okay?" Richard asked as Jason clung to him.

Jason held on to his daddy for as long as he could, and then when he felt his mom's hand on his left shoulder he reluctantly pulled away and watched as his daddy stood up hugging and kissing his mommy. As Richard walked through the security check point, Jason leaned against his mommy's left side feeling sad again, but he waved to his daddy until he could no longer see him.

"Are you ready to go to the park?" Lois asked her son, trying to cheer him up. She heard him sigh and knelt down in front of him as Richard had only moments before. "Jason, he won't be gone long, and he will call us tonight before it's time for you to go to bed," she said.

"I already miss him though," he whispered, and let his mommy hug him. When they finished hugging, he held her hand and his dog as they pushed their way past the crowds to make their way out to the car which awaited them in visitor parking.

* * *

The park had worked to cheer Jason up, but when they arrived home after having dinner at one of his favorite Restaurants, Ducky Bills Wacky Pizza Parlor, it was evident that he was still sad about Richard being away. Ducky Bills had done more than the park to make Jason happy, mostly because of the coin operated space ship that had spun around and let him go up into the air about three feet off the ground. Lois watched as he walked up the several steps where their bedrooms were, and let out a deep sigh. She hated seeing him this unhappy, and all day she had been worrying about what Richard would do when he found out about Superman. If he got angry and left them, Jason would be crushed and she knew she couldn't let that happen.

The next couple of hours Lois spent time trying to keep Jason from thinking too much about Richard. They played Go Fish several times - a game that Jason could win without help - and she sat at the kitchen table and drew pictures with him. One picture he drew was obviously a plane, and it was of him sitting next to Richard with her on the other side of Daddy's seat. When she finally got him off to sleep, Lois grabbed a pack of cigarettes and headed downstairs to the front of the house which faced the coast, and Richard's plane. Jason's window was closed and without thought she pulled a cigarette out and put it to her lips. As she lit her lighter, it went out, and she looked around to find Superman landing near her. "I know they are bad for me, but you would smoke too after the day I had," she said, not willing to be cheerful at the moment.

"I thought it would be a good time for us to talk, but perhaps I was wrong," he said.

Superman was very tall and handsome, with short black hair and a little curl off to his left side in front. Lois felt defeated, and wanted to cry, but would not allow that to happen. "No, we need to talk about Jason." Lois turned away from him and the waterfront, and walked back toward the house, going under an awning to sit down in a cushioned chair. Looking past Superman as he walked over to her, she watched the city lights across the bay, and remembered how much she had loved this house, which was why Richard had bought it. She mentally shook herself. Right now she couldn't think about him. Right now she needed answers. "When I found out I was going to have Jason, you had already been gone for three months," she started as Superman sat down in a chair near her own. The chairs were black cast iron, fitted with cushions to make them comfortable, and between the two chairs there was a matching table with a pretty unlit candle on it.

Superman listened as she told him about how surprised she was to find out she was going to have a baby, and how, even though her mind was jumbled up, she knew that Jason had been his. Guilt found its way into his heart as she talked about how afraid she had been, because she didn't know how she was going to raise Jason on her own.

Remembering that time was painful for Lois, but he needed to know this, and so she trudged on. "By the time Richard came into the picture, I was just starting into my fourth month. He had just arrived from London to take over the job he is currently in, and invited me to the fair. Of course I didn't want to go, but he insisted." A smile formed on her lips as she remembered that time, and then faded as she went on. "I never thought it would go past that night but he kept calling me, and on our next outing, I told him it wasn't fair for us to get involved because I was pregnant." At this point Lois did look at him, and could see he was uncomfortable, but she didn't care. She had been more than uncomfortable when all of this had gone on and now he needed to squirm a bit.

Hearing about Richard's involvement in her life made him jealous, and now Superman wished he could turn back the hands of time and change things. He actually did have the capability to turn back the hands of time and had done it once before, after Lex sent a missile into the San Andreas Fault line, causing a quake which had killed her. Despite knowing that it was forbidden for him to interfere with human history, he had backed time up and saved the woman he loved.

Lois paused as she thought about when Jason was born, and took a long look at her cigarette before she continued. "I was 22 weeks along, when I went into labor with him. Richard was at work when it happened so he drove me to the hospital, and I spent the rest of my pregnancy there, trying to keep from delivering too early. Jason waited another five weeks, and then he was born. He weighed just over a pound, and the first time I saw him he had all of these wires hooked up to him, he…" Lois had to stop then and wiped tears from her eyes.

Beside her Superman felt his eyes tear up, and wanted to hold her, but he knew right now she would only get angry at that, and kept his distance. She told him how for the first few weeks it was touch and go with their son, how Jason struggled for each breath he took, and how Richard had been with her through all of it. Now that he knew now that Richard had claimed Jason as his own even at the risk of losing him, should his father return, he didn't feel so threatened by him.

"Jason finally got to come home around the time of his original due date, but he has always been fragile," said Lois as she again looked at Superman. After telling him all of this, Lois wanted to climb into bed and sleep for a week. She was so emotionally drained, but also relieved because he now knew all that she had wanted to tell him since Jason was born.

For a few minutes both of them sat in silence looking out over the waterway. Superman thought about all he had put her through, and wondered if tonight was the right time to let her know that he was also Clark. He had come here to talk about Jason and to tell her his secret, but with all she had just told him, he almost felt like an outcast and maybe that Jason would be better off having Richard be his daddy. "Lois, has he ever shown any abilities, tendencies toward having any of my powers?"

When Superman asked her that question, Lois turned to face him. "When Luthor had us on his boat and I tried to send that fax, one of his men found out what I was doing. He attacked me in front of Jason, and came at me with some sort of rock, intending to kill me I think, but all of the sudden the piano flew across the room and crushed him. At first I thought you had found us, but when I looked over where the piano had been, I saw Jason standing there with his arms pushed out, and as shocked as I was, I knew that he was the one who saved me.

Superman thought for a moment about what she had just told him. "He likely did that out of stress, fear for you. I came here tonight because I thought I should have a part in his life but now I don't know."

Lois was watching him and could see he was struggling with his feelings. When he told her he didn't know she waited. Finally when he did speak, he told her that he didn't want to put Jason in danger, and that maybe it would be better for now to keep things the way they were, but she did not agree with that. "You are his father, and you have every right to claim a part in his life, but I see what you are saying about the danger."

"There is more you should know," Superman told her, and when she nodded her head he continued. "What do you remember about before I left for Krypton?"

It had been a long time since she had thought about any of this, but for him she was willing to try. Lois was no longer angry with him, now that he knew what she had been through and set her mind back to that time. "Shadows mostly, I have glimpses of things, an ice fortress, having dinner with you there, possibly the night Jason was conceived, but I thought that was all some sort of dream."

Superman considered what he was going to tell her, and knew that they needed to let Jason know in some way that he was his father, but the only way was to tell her his secret and see if she remembered. "You and I did all of that, but there is more you should know," he said, and then he told her all of the truth.

"Do you remember Perry assigning us to do that investigation at Niagara Falls?" When Lois nodded her head he continued. "I need to know how much of that you remember," he said.

Lois shut her eyes for a moment thinking back to that time. "I remember being at the observatory and you wanted to hold my hand because everyone else around us was doing that." As she recalled that she smiled, and then it faded as she remembered about the little boy. "When he started to fall all I could think about was how to save him and then you were there, and I remember wondering why Clark always disappeared when you came around." Lois tried to remember the rest but could not. "That's all I remember, well that and the tacky room we had to stay in."

Now it was time for Superman to shut his eyes. He had debated taking her memories from her but at the time it had seemed like the proper thing to do. "After I saved that boy you and I took a walk to some of the other site areas around the falls," he told her as he opened his eyes to look at her. The look of confusion in her eyes was evident so he went on. "What you knew before was that I am also Clark Kent."

As soon as he said those words some of her memories began to resurface. "I wanted to prove that you were Superman, but I thought that was just some sort of dream because it was Clark who saved me, or you." Lois grumbled because all of it was so cloudy. "What else?" she finally asked unable to recall much more than that.

"When we arrived back at the hotel room you were sitting by the fire letting your hair dry from being in the water. You asked me to bring me your hair brush and when I did I tripped over a polar bear rug and landed with my hand in the fire." He waited to see if she remembered any more.

"You hid your hand from me, and I remember being so determined to help you. When I saw that you didn't have any sort of burn I knew I had been right," she said as she relived that time in her life. Why did I forget all of that? Why is it coming back to me just now?"

"You struggled with that knowledge, and I have the ability to suppress memories in people if I want." He could see her getting angry, and then it passed. "I should have asked you before I did that, and I am sorry."

What he had done made her angry until she remembered how confused she had been, how each time he would fly off into a disaster she worried about him to the point of almost making herself sick. That was a different time, and now that she remembered, it was a weight off of her shoulders. Superman asked her if Richard could be trusted with his secret. "I think in some way, he knows. He almost had it figured out one night while we were all working," Her voice trailed off as she realized what must have happened that night. "Wait! You heard us didn't you?"

"I did. I may have to find a better way to hide my identity," Superman admitted, and Lois shook her head smiling at him. Seeing her smile made his heart beat a little faster. He liked seeing her happy and liked being the cause, as human as that sounded.

"Richard has always known that you might come back, though I never told him you were Jason's father. He loves both of us, and I think he can be trusted, but where does that leave us?"

Superman had been prepared for that question. "I want to be a part of my son's life, and was thinking that we should tell him that Clark Kent is his father for now."

Lois had thought along those lines, but at work she had always avoided any sort of relationship with Clark. She didn't know if that would be something that anyone would believe unless it could be explained as a moment of mutual weakness, when they were at Niagara Falls. Lois yawned and watched as Superman stood up. When he walked in front of her and offered his hand she took it and let him help her up.

"I should let you get some sleep," he said as they still held hands. Lois was looking at him and he wanted to kiss her, but right now, as it had been before on the rooftop at The Planet, he knew that he could not let that happen. He let go of her hand and lifted off the ground. "Goodnight Lois," he said and then he was gone.

* * *

The week seemed to fly by and on Friday night, Lois and Jason picked Richard up from the airport. As soon as Richard came into view, Lois watched as her son ran to his father, and hugged him with all he had. She had missed Richard too, and when he and Jason got to where she was waiting she hugged both of them, and then kissed Richard. "We missed you," she said as the parted.

"Mommy, can we go to Ducky Bills," Jason asked as they walked out to the car as a whole family.

Lois smiled, holding Richards's free hand as Jason skipped in front of them. "Not tonight baby, maybe tomorrow night," she added before he could pout.

When they arrived home from the airport it was close to 10pm, and Jason had fallen asleep in the back of the car. Again Lois watched Richard with Jason, and had always been amazed at how he could get him out of the car, and up to his bed without waking him. While he tended to Jason, Lois got his bags and was in their room starting to unpack when she heard the door close. She felt his hand on her shoulder and when he gently pulled her against him, she shut her eyes. Lois knew what he wanted, because it had always been their way to spend their first night together after a long separation making love, but tonight her heart wasn't in the right place. Lois hesitated and then she gently pulled away from him.

Richard had been ready to spend the rest of his night in bed with the woman he loved, but when she moved away from him, he could tell something was on her mind. While he had been in England, he had been doing a lot of thinking about things, mostly about Superman. Since his return, Lois had been more distant, and even though she told him that she had not loved the Man of Steel, he knew that wasn't the truth. Now she was unpacking his things, and Richard decided that maybe they should talk. "Lois," he said.

With most of Richard's clothes in a pile to be washed, Lois was getting ready to put his suitcase in their large walk-in closet across from their queen sized bed when he called out to her. She stopped moving and slowly looked at him. When he asked her what was wrong, she wanted to assure him that nothing was different, but the love she saw in his eyes demanded respect and with that respect the truth needed to be told. "We need to talk, Richard," she said as she left the brown suitcase on the bottom of their bed, and walked over to where he was standing, on the side of the bed closest to their bedroom door. Lois reached out, took his hand, and led him over to the love seat near the outer wall of their room where a small fireplace was. They sat down and then she began.

Never had Richard dreamed that Jason's father could be Superman, and then again he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it. Lois told him about the night Superman had come to the house, and revealed to her something she had known and then forgotten. "Wait," he said, feeling hurt and a bit angry when she told him that part. He stood up and began to pace. "So he has a way of making you forget if he wants to? Don't you think it is possible that he made you think he was Jason's father, when it might well be he is not?" Richard asked as he stopped pacing to look at her.

Lois knew he had a right to be mad, and she answered him truthfully. "Jason saved me from being killed by one of Lex's baddies. He shoved a piano at super speed and killed the man. At first, I thought it was Superman but then when I only saw Jason standing where the piano had been, I knew it was him."

Richard moved beside her and sat back down shutting his eyes. "So what now?" he asked, wondering if he needed to leave now that Lois knew that Superman was the father of her child, a child he had raised as his own.

"He wants to be a part of Jason's life, but he can't as Superman." When Richard looked at her a bit confused, Lois told him the next part of the secret. "Superman isn't always saving people, he has another identity one that you nearly guessed that night we were all working late at the Planet." Lois watched the expression on his face as he recalled that night.

Richard could hardly believe that he was right, because Clark Kent was so unsure of himself, always stuttering and sometimes clumsy, and then it did add up. As Clark Kent Superman could have a normal life and really it was the perfect disguise, and so obvious now that he knew the truth.

This was the most difficult challenge that his family had faced, and Richard made a decision not to let it pull them apart. "Do you love him? You told me that night when I asked you that you did not." He looked at Lois and could see the pain in her eyes. "You do, don't you?" When she nodded her head he sighed.

"I don't know what to do, Richard. I love the life I have with you now. You and I have been through so much together and with Jason, and I don't want to see that taken away. Maybe I just need time to think, and I know that isn't fair to you," she said. Her voice was shaky, and when he put his arm around her she took in a deep breath, and let it out, wondering how he could stay here knowing that at any time things could change for them.

After holding her for a few minutes, Richard moved his arm from behind her, and they stood up together. He kissed her, and when her arms reached around his shoulders to pull him closer, he didn't resist what was about to happen.

* * *

The next morning as he had done since he learned how to climb out of his crib, Jason ran into his parents' room, and pounced on their bed, waking Richard and Lois, who had night clothes on in anticipation of this routine event. She and Richard took turns tickling their little boy and then Jason settled in the middle of them.

Lois turned on her right side, and looked over at Richard who nodded his head. "Jason, daddy and I need to talk to you about something," she said.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked, not sure what he might have done wrong. His mommy kissed him on the cheek and told him he was not and he felt better.

Lois didn't know how to tell Jason this without hurting him, but she took a breath and began. "Jason, what I'm going to tell you will be very confusing, but this is something you need to know. You see, you have another daddy who wants to know you," she said. When she said that Jason sat up looking upset and confused, and she felt horrible.

"I have daddy right here," he replied as Richard sat up and hugged him.

As Richard held him, Lois did her best to explain Clark's place in his life, telling Jason that he was his biological father, and what that meant.

Even though Jason was just five years old, he had a rough idea of what she was telling him. He had an IQ level well above that of any other five year old and it was because of that score that he was at a special Montessori school that kept him challenged. "I don't want another daddy," he said when she had finished. He pulled away from Richard, and turned on his belly lowering himself to the floor, and then he ran from their room and they both heard his door shut.

Lois shut her eyes and was glad when Richard took her into his arms. "There are times like now when I wish, as mean as this sounds, that he would have found someone on Krypton and stayed behind," Lois admitted, but Richard knew that she was saying that more out of hurt for their son than heartfelt words.

* * *

While Lois and Richard were trying to get Jason to come out of his room, Clark had found a place to live in a historical neighborhood. He had purchased a house with the money he had put into savings before he left for Krypton. The house had three bedrooms, two baths, a large living room and a small kitchen, as well as a half acre of land in the back for Jason to play in when he came to visit, if that happened. Lois had said she and Richard would tell him today, but so far he had not heard from them. The house was all ready for living, and Clark was grateful that he had the gift of super speed for such tasks.

He sat in his living room watching TV on a 37 inch model television, eating a sandwich. As he was finishing lunch, his phone rang, and when he answered Lois was on the other end. "How did it go?" he asked, hoping for the best.

On her end Lois again felt emotionally exhausted. "He locked us out of his room, and doesn't want another daddy," she finally replied. "I think for the time being you need to steer clear of this place, and let him have time to adjust to all of this."

Clark agreed to do that, and told her to call him if there was anything he could do. As he hung up the phone his super hearing picked up a news broadcast about a rebellion breaking out in another country. Turning off the TV, he quickly changed into his Superman suit, and headed off to try and stop the conflict and save as many people as he could.

* * *

Eventually Jason came out of his room, and Lois and Richard decided a trip to Ducky Bills would make him feel better. While they were there he seemed to perk up a bit, but when they got home around 5:30 p.m., he was sad again. Now as Lois sat down to work on a report she was investigating for work, Richard found his son in his room pushing his yellow pickup truck around on the floor. "Jason, are you afraid that I will leave you because of Clark?"

His daddy always seemed to know what was on his mind, and slowly Jason nodded his head, and then found himself in a hug, one that he returned.

"I'm not going anywhere little guy, you are my boy, and I will always be here for you, okay?" Richard felt Jason nod his head and just held him. He wasn't sure what changes would happen once Clark came into their lives, but even if he moved out; he would always keep Jason as his son, and hoped that both Lois and Superman realized that, and Superman as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Reintroduction**

Just as the sun was starting to set over the great city of Metropolis, a red and white taxi pulled up to a large house, and out from the cab stepped two of the most unlikely pair to live in such a place. A bedraggled looking man and a woman looked at the mansion with relief in their eyes. The man paid the driver with a ten dollar bill, and when the man at the wheel wanted more, a gun was drawn and the taxi sped off into the darkening night. Lex Luther and his companion, a woman called Kitty, walked right up to the house and went inside finding themselves in a large foyer. While Kitty tended to the dog in her arms, Lex walked down the large passage, passing a glass display with a model ship called the Gertrude. The real Gertrude had been lost at sea, and as he turned to his right, into a small study, Lex thought of the woman and small child he had left on The Gertrude, hoping that they had perished along with it, but knew that as long as Superman was still alive, that was likely not what had taken place.

Walking over to a solid cherry wood desk, Lex went behind it, and sat down in a soft very comfortable leather chair, slipping off his shoes, and in the process dumping sand onto the floor, but he didn't notice. He and Kitty had spent almost three weeks on a small Island that he managed to find when the escape chopper they had been in ran out of gas. While they were there he was forced to live below his means; Lex Luther, the greatest criminal mind of all times had been forced to work for his way to survive again, and that experience had only served to make him more bitter, and more determined to destroy Superman. Lex wanted to make him suffer, but right now more than anything, he wanted a good meal, clean cloths, and a clean bed to sleep in. With that thought in mind, he left the office and headed upstairs to take care of that, hearing Kitty singing to the dog she had refused to let out of her sight on the Island.

* * *

While Lex was working on getting re-established; on the other side of Metropolis, in a smaller house that faced the bay, a father and his son were getting to know one another. Seated in the living room, on the soft carpeted floor across from his son, Clark Kent was getting beat a third time at a game of Go Fish. This evening was the first time he and Jason had seen one another since the truth had been revealed, and at first Jason hadn't said too much to him, but now they were getting along great.

Jason only needed one card to win, and when he asked Clark if he had a two, he watched as the tall man sitting across from him frowned before handing him a card with the two of spades. Jason smiled a moment before he stood up and began dancing around the floor. "I won, I won," he called out getting his mommy and daddy's attention. Lois and Richard were sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper, and were both relieved that Jason was feeling better about having Clark around.

When she heard Jason ask Clark to play another game, Lois stood up from the table, and went to the rescue. "Jason, it's time for your bath. Why don't you take Clark upstairs and see if he can help you pick out some pajamas," she suggested. Since Jason was not yet comfortable referring to his Clark as 'daddy', everyone was referring to him by his given name and that had worked to put Jason more at ease.

Jason stopped dancing and sighed, "Can I take a bath in your bathtub mommy?" he asked, and when she nodded her head Jason walked over to his Clark and pulled on his hand. "Come on Clark, I'll show you my room now," he said softly. Jason waited for him to stand up, and then took his hand and led him to the second level.

As the two of them headed upstairs, Richard walked over to where Lois was picking up the cards and lent a hand. "Looks like he's feeling a little better," he offered. Lois had been quiet through most of the evening, and Richard knew she was uncomfortable with all of this, not because of Jason, but because of her feelings.

They both reached for the last card at the same time, and when their hands touched, Richard gently held onto Lois and she looked at him. "I'm sorry Richard, all of this is so hard to get used to," she admitted as they stood up. When he hugged her she wrapped her arms around him, and for a moment they stayed that way, and then she left to go run Jason's bath.

Seated on the end of the bed in Jason's room, Clark watched as his little boy tried to pick out which pair of pajamas he would wear. He had a whole drawer full of them, and had narrowed it down to a pair of pajamas; one pair light blue in color with helicopters printed on the fabric, and another pair light green with fish of all sorts printed on the fabric, each pair long sleeved, with matching long bottoms to keep Jason warm should he kick the covers off of in his sleep.

Unable to decide which pair he wanted to wear to bed, Jason turned to face Clark saying, "You pick for me." The small boy held out both pairs of pajamas and Clark picked the one with the fish, making him happy. He put them on the bed as his mommy came into the room. "Clark, will you sit with me while I get my bath?" he asked, and smiled when he agreed to do that.

The master bathroom was huge, and Clark had never seen a place so fancy, with the exception of the hotel room he and Lois had stayed in while they were on assignment at Niagara Falls. Jason got right in the bath which was sunken into the floor, and began to play while Lois told Clark about bath time.

She was telling him about how to wash his hair due to the tubes in his ears, and then stopped when she realized he didn't understand and began to explain "Jason had bad ear infections when he was a baby, and the tubes keep his ears drained. He can't get water in them, oh… Jason come here baby, I didn't put your ear plugs in," Lois said as she walked back over to her son.

Clark watched as she put two small plugs, in his ears for a perfect fit.

Realizing that Clark had likely never dealt with a child at bath time, Lois rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and decided to go on and bathe Jason, and let him watch. She showed Clark how to get Jason to tilt his head back to wet his hair, making sure to emphasize how important it was to keep the water away from his ears. After putting watermelon smelling shampoo in Jason's hair, Lois let her son lather up, and then did a touch up job before she again took a small cup and poured it over his head as he tilted it back. When she had finished helping him get clean she left father in son, to go down and sit with Richard, needing a chance to get away. All of this was really difficult, and she now knew why Superman, had made the choice to have her forget. Despite her feelings of confusion, Lois knew she had to pull it together, and by the time she got back to Richard, she was calm and collected.

* * *

After bath time, Clark read Jason three stories, and would have read a forth, but Lois caught on to what her son was doing and came to the rescue again. As with any child, Jason hated bed time and did anything he could do to prolong it, including requesting story after story. They finally did get him settled in for the night, and by then it was fairly late.

Clark thanked them for having him over, and was now flying over the city as Superman keeping his eyes on things, and thinking about the time he had spent with Jason. Tomorrow would be Monday, and he Lois and Richard all agreed that they would address people's questions about the change of things as they arose.

This past week as Superman, he had been able to stop a civil war in Africa, between two factions, and had spent nearly all of his time there trying to keep things from falling apart.

As he thought about that week, Superman remembered what his father had said about Krypton, and how they ended the wars, and came up with the utopian way of living that had gone on for thousands of years before the sun started to die. Sometimes he wondered if this planet would ever get to that point, but with all the hate and violence he had seen since getting back from his journey to Krypton, he didn't think it would for a very long, long time.

Suddenly, he heard gunfire, and flew down over a part of Metropolis that most people didn't go to after night. He hovered in the air, over a group of run down apartments, using his X-ray vision to see right through the red brick and mortar into the building. There he saw an elderly woman pressed up against a filthy wall, held there by a boy likely in his early teens wearing a ski mask, and dark cloths. As the youth held her, two more boys his age were going through her things.

That was all Superman needed to see before he was flying at top speed toward the building; he got to her window and got it open without the boys seeing him, and then at speeds so fast that they had no idea what was going on, all three of the boys went from being robbers, to being all tied up facing the hero, all three without their masks. "I think there are better ways of getting money," he said as he took a bag from one of the taller boys whose long blond hair was tied in a ponytail with a garbage bag tie.

While they were tied up, a good distance from the woman they had been robbing, Superman went to her and helped her sit down on a filthy old battered chair. He asked the elderly woman if she was all right, and made sure she was with his X-ray vision. By then there were sirens, and he could hear another call for help. "You will be alright now," he said, and with that he flew out of her window, and was off to help other people who needed him

* * *

As Superman went on his nightly rounds helping people out of dangers, Lex Luther sat in his office looking at his bank account on the computer. He had enough money to buy his own Island, but that wasn't enough, what he wanted was his own country to rule; a place he didn't have to answer to anyone, and he had almost had that until Superman took it away from him. Superman was the cause of all of his unrest, and now if that were not enough he had a son, a son who would one day grow up to be just as annoying as his father. If Lex had his way that boy would not grow up to become a man, if Lex Luther had his way that boy would not live to see his next Birthday.

"Kitty!" Lex yelled and in a moment he heard the click of her heals and she entered his office. She too had been able to get a shower and looked lovelier than ever, but right now Lex Luther could not think of the pleasures he would spent with her this night. "Bring me my briefcase, the one behind you," he said when she began to look confused.

The puppy she was holding in her arms that had also gotten a bath was whimpering, but didn't do any more than that, and after getting the briefcase she took it over to her boss. "What are you gonna do with that?" she asked as her boss kissed the black leather case, and caressed it as though it were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

Lex realized what he was doing and put the case down. "Tomorrow I want you to go to…" Lex told her what to do, and though she was confused, she knew not to ask him any questions. Kitty left her boss and headed upstairs with her puppy, to sleep in her new room.

* * *

The next morning, when Jason woke up, he was excited. He found his cloths laying out on his desk chair to the right of his bed, the cloths he and his… Clark, picked out with his mom's approval. Quickly Jason got dressed, and managed the whole thing on his own, even down to getting the buttons on his shirt fixed just the right way. After putting on his socks and then his favorite sandals, Jason opened the door of his room, and ran across the hall to his parents' room finding them awake still getting dressed. "Mommy, Daddy we have to hurry," he said in a most excited voice.

Lois came out of the bathroom wearing a cream button down top, and a slip. Her hair was rolled up in rollers, and she was surprised to find her little boy dressed without any prompting. "Well look at you," she said as Jason walked over to her. "Baby we still have almost an hour before we will be ready to leave."

When she said that, Jason pouted, until Richard came up behind him on his hands and knees, and grabbed him, tickling him and nibbling on his belly until Jason begged for him to stop through fits of laughter.

Something that both of them had noticed since he first exhibited his powers on the boat, was that he no longer had asthma type symptoms, which was why Richard could now play with his son like this. When he finished tickling Jason, Richard helped him stand up, and then both of them went downstairs to get breakfast going.

* * *

When they arrived at the Planet, in the news room, Jason made his way around the several desks in the room, until he got to Clark's desk, and stood there looking very disappointed. His other daddy's desk was clean, with the chair pushed all the way in, and it was evident that he had not arrived. As his mommy and his daddy walked behind him, Jason turned around. "Mommy why isn't daddy here?" he asked without realizing what he had just said.

Next to Lois, Richard stiffened slightly, and the relaxed. He knew the day would come when Jason would call both he and Clark by that name, but he had not been prepared for it to come this soon. As Lois knelt down to talk to Jason, Richard heard Perry call his name, and was a bit relieved to go take care of business, needing that distraction to get his mind off of its jealous musings.

As Lois hugged her little boy, she explained that Clark had likely gotten tied up in traffic. She had noticed Richard's reaction to Jason referring to Clark as daddy, and wanted the chance to go talk to him, but right now Jason needed her. Today his school was out, and he would spend the day with them.

When Jason was feeling a little better, she led him over to her desk where she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out an old shoe box, and a Disney coloring book, putting both of those on her desk top before she helped Jason get up into her chair. "Now be a very good boy, and sit here while I go talk to your daddy," she said referring to Richard. Jason had already opened the shoe box, and was picking out a blue crown, ready to color a jewel in the current picture of the Seven Dwarfs in their Mine. He was occupied, so Lois headed into Richard's office, finding him at his desk looking out the Window.

Even though he heard Lois enter his office, Richard was not yet ready to face her. He knew that she had seen his reaction to Jason's calling Clark daddy, and was a little embarrassed that he had let that bother him. Finally when she was right next to him he turned his chair a bit to the right and looked at her. "I think I know how Clark feels now," he admitted. He had thought of that before Lois came in, how hard it had to be for Clark not to see Jason as much as he did, and he wondered if, and when, the tables would ever be turned.

Needing to feel his arms around her, Lois eased onto his lap and sighed. "Are you going to be okay with this?" she finally asked after they had sat in silence for a minute or so. She felt his arms tighten around her, and felt him kiss the top of her head.

"I guess any other guy would cut the losses and take off, but I love both of you, so much Lois, more than I could ever tell you in one of those editorials that you write," he admitted. She turned so that she could see him and he could see the hurt in her eyes. "Look Lois, don't worry about me, I knew that there was always a chance that this would happen," he said referring to Jason's father coming back, "though I'll admit I never figured Superman was the guy, but until this all goes which ever way it does, and even after, I'll be here for you and for Jason."

How she had ever met a more understanding man was beyond her, and all Lois could do was kiss him and then hug him, and do her best not to blubber like a baby. "How fair is that to you?" she asked.

* * *

As his parents talked in his daddy's office, Jason continued to color in his book unaware that Clark had arrived, or that he was looking at him.

Clark was standing a little away watching his son at work. All night he had been out saving lives, and when he arrived here after stopping by his house to wash up and change, he had not stopped thinking about Jason. He did a quick scan of the busy News Room, and saw Richard and Lois talking, but decided not to eaves drop. Someone bumped against him and then he heard, "Oh sorry Mr. Kent."

Jimmy had developed the photos he had taken of Superman saving the Chief from the Giant Globe on top of their office building, and had been looking at his handy work when he bumped into his friend. "Did I show you these?" Jimmy asked eager to have someone else look over his handy work before the Chief took a look at them.

At his mommy's desk, Jason stopped coloring when her heard Jimmy say, "Mr. Kent," and spotted Clark. He slipped down from her desk, and had taken two steps away, before he turned back around reaching up to grab his drawing, the one he had made for his new daddy, or old. Jason decided to figure that one out later and when he got to where they were standing he hugged around Clark's leg. "Hi Clark, I made you something," he said.

Jimmy had never seen Jason hug anyone around the office except for his Uncle Perry, or his mom and dad, and so he was surprised to see him hugging Clark's leg. He took the pictures from Clark and watched as his friend knelt down to address the little guy.

"Wow Jason, that's really something," Clark said as he was handed the picture his son had just finished. He put his arm around Jason and they both looked at the picture not noticing that Jimmy was looking at them, wondering what was going on.

Jason was happy that his other daddy liked the drawing he had finished. "See that is the seven dorfs, only I always forget their names, but there is one and his name is Dopey," Jason said as he started to laugh.

As Jason talked, Clark noticed they were sort of in the way, and stood up lifting Jason with him as he did. He noticed Jimmy looking at him funny, and decided to address him later as he walked the short distance to his desk, setting Jason on the edge while he put his briefcase on the floor to the right of his desk.

* * *

In Richard's office, Lois noticed that everyone else was coming in and after giving her fiancé another kiss, she headed out to see what kind of trouble her son was getting into. As soon as she got out the door, she encountered Jimmy who informed her about Clark and Jason.

"I have never seen that kid take to anyone like he did Mr. Kent," Jimmy said.

Lois smiled at the photographer, knowing that sooner or later there would be gossip about all of this, but for now she wasn't willing to let in on the secret. "Clark's very good with kids, I think Perry wants to see those," she said as she touched one of the photos in his hands.

Realizing she was right, Jimmy headed for the Boss's office, for the moment thinking about his photos hoping Perry would like what he had done.

* * *

At lunch, Lois was having a phone conference with someone who had witnessed a murder, and Richard was in a meeting with some of the International Department heads from London, which left Jason under the care of Clark. Seated at his desk, Clark was trying to get his own article about the death of a woman for the obits prepared, while Jason sat near by on the floor playing with his trucks.

Tired of playing alone, Jason looked around the office, trying to see if he could find something more interesting. He turned all the way around, and looked at the doors leading out into the lobby and a smile spread over his little face. Turning his head back toward his daddy, who was typing, Jason stood up. He took one more look behind him and then he began to weave his way toward the lobby doors. Jason was just about to put his hand on the handle to pull it open when two large hands wrapped around either side of him, and in a quick second he found himself in the air being turned to face his daddy. "How did you do that Clark, I saw you typing and I didn't make a noise or anything," Jason said as his daddy carried him back to his desk.

Clark set Jason down on his desk, and sat back down in his chair. Jimmy had been right his son was a trouble finder. "I didn't hear you, and when I turned around I saw you heading for the doors," he said keeping a serious face for a moment. "Now what was it you were about to do hmm?"

Unable to tell if his daddy was mad or not, Jason looked down. "I was bored," he said hoping his mommy didn't see them. She told him the next time he snuck out of the office he would have to stand in the corner in daddy's office for five whole minutes.

Willing to cut Jason some slack, Clark reached around his right side and shut off his computer. "Why don't we grab something to eat," he said. He saw a smile on his little boys face and stood up helping Jason down from his desk. After getting his coat, he started to put that on when he heard someone calling for help. He looked past Jason at Lois who had by some miracle looked at him at the right moment.

Lois saw that Clark needed to go, and quickly went over to them. "Jason you have to take your medicine," she said, which was the truth.

With Jason now occupied complaining about having to take medicine, Clark made his exit, and as he did he wondered how things were going to work now that he had a son to watch out for, and a world to save.

* * *

Hey everyone thanks so much for all the great reviews. I am glad you like this story, I am having fun writing it and trying to get into the characters minds. I know this doesn't have much action it aka Lex Luther, but never fear his part is coming up soon. Right now I'm getting things established and then I'll take off, well if that is my muse decides it should go that way.

Keep reviewing. Thanks

Ella


	4. Chapter 4

**Becoming Unraveled**

By the start of October, the days were becoming cooler and shorter. That time marked nearly a month since Superman had come back to Earth, and crime was not as much of a problem as it had been in those first days after the Planet printed Lois's editorial on Lex, and his insidious plan to grow his own continent. In the weeks that had followed his return, Clark Kent had begun spending time with his son, and though at first Jason was weary of such a huge change in his very structured life, now the little boy loved spending time with him, and had even begun to call him, _Dad. _Clark was learning how to juggle his time with his son, and his time as Superman. He was also trying to figure out a way to let Jason spend time at his house without his child figuring out his secret, or the world wondering why, during certain times of the week, the man of Steel could not be found. So far that was proving to be a bigger challenge than what he wanted.

As Clark tried to figure out how to even out his time with Jason and the World, life at the White/Lane household was beginning to change. It was Richard who had noticed that certain things were not the same, and as another day began, he was realizing that he might have to break the promise he had made to himself about Jason. At first he agreed without thought that he and Lois could, and would stay together, with Clark Kent visiting Jason when he was able too. Richard knew that he had a duty to protect Jason and help him transition to this huge change in his life, and while Jason was still reluctant to go with Clark during the weekend, a few hours at a time, to the pier to fish, or to the park to play, Richard knew that the time would come when there would no longer be that hesitation. The other small changes were between he and Lois. It had been small things at first, fewer intimate kisses and caresses, but now he would wake up at night, and find her on the other side of the bed, when before they went to sleep she would have been settled against him, with her head against his chest while he held her in his arms. They had always slept cuddled together, and Richard knew that she wasn't aware of what she was doing in her sleep, but more and more he was beginning to realize that their time as a family was numbered in weeks or even days.

* * *

The morning rush was on, and while Lois was getting dressed, she was also on the phone with a witness to a robbery last evening. The ace reporter of the Daily Planet had a pad and pen in her hands, and had an ear piece attached to her left ear, with her cellular phone on her bedside table. While she was jotting down notes, she was also trying to find her black flats. Lois had become an expert at doing many things at once; though not being able to find her shoes was beginning to frustrate her. "So you saw the two boys throw the rock into the window?" she asked as Richard walked over from the closet with the two shoes she had hunted for nearly ten minutes. Lois sighed in relief as he handed them to her, and they shared a short kiss before she slipped her shoes on and continued to write out the details of the robbery.

In his room, Jason was still in his pajamas despite being told two times by his daddy, and a few by his mommy to get dressed. The little boy was busy making a tall tower out of wooden blocks of various shapes and sorts, and did not hear his daddy walk into the room, and then he found himself being held upside down and began to laugh. "No daddy not the tummy munchers," Jason yelled as Richard laid him down on the bed, trying to lift up his pajama top so that he could munch on Jason's belly. For a couple of minutes they played that way, and then Richard helped Jason get dressed. Since they were running late, Richard packed breakfast to go for Jason, and then as a family of three they headed for school and then work.

* * *

Not long after he arrived in his office, Richard received a telephone call from London, and found himself speaking to Albert Donovan, head editor at The Daily Planet's London branch. The Planet had three offices abroad, one in London, another in China, and one more in Australia. Over the years the young editor for the International team had been to all three offices for various functions. As they talked about the problems the London office was having, Richard was beginning to realize that he would need to head back there, and though some part of him felt guilty for being away again so soon after his last trip, another part of him was almost relieved. After nearly an hour on the phone, Richard hung up and talked to Perry, and then walked out of his uncle's office, and found Lois talking to Jimmy. As he watched them for a moment he saw a smile on her face, and then he walked over to the two, and said, "Hey Jimmy."

The young photographer was one of a select few people who knew that Clark was Jason's biological father, and that was due mainly to his close relationship as family friend. Jimmy could tell Richard needed to talk to Lois, and gathered up the photos he had been sharing with her. "Well I better get these to the Chief before he rings my neck," Jimmy said, and then left the two to talk.

When Lois looked into her fiancés eyes, she could tell he had something on his mind, and when he asked her to come with him to his office, she followed him instantly. Once they were inside she shut the door and crossed her arms having a guess of what he was about to say to her.

"Albert called me as soon as we got here, and said the London branch isn't keeping up with the rest of the paper." When she continued to watch him he sat down at his desk. "They want me to go back for another week of meetings."

For a split second Lois was as angry as she had ever been at Richard, but then it passed and she realized that he really didn't have a choice in this; as International Editor he had to go where the Corporate Goons sent him. "I wish they could just let you settle this over a conference call," she admitted as she walked over to him. When he reached his hand out she took it and let him pull her to sit on his lap. "Maybe Jason and I can come with you," she said and then dismissed it, because Jason couldn't miss school, not a week of it.

For a few minutes neither one of them said anything, and it was then that Richard realized that Lois wasn't talking, which was not like her. "Hey, what do you have going on in that mind of yours?" he asked as he gave her a gentle squeeze. She was sitting sideways on his lap and with her right cheek pressed against his chest.

Honesty had always been their policy, and she wasn't about to start pushing away the truth now. "I feel like things are starting to fall apart Richard." As she said that, Lois lifted her head away from his chest and looked at him. "I am the one to blame for it, and you and Clark are the ones who are stuck waiting for me to make my choice." He was about to say something but she stopped him. "Look don't tell me that you are okay with this Richard, how fair is it for you to stay with me when at any moment I could start over with Clark?" she asked. As she continued to talk she stood up and began to pace. "I don't know what I'm trying to say here," she said, and as she finished talking, she had come to pause in front of his window. Lois leaned forward, and let her forehead rest against the cool glass, looking down at the busy streets below Richard's office.

As soon as she said that, Richard remembered back to his thoughts, about when things would start to change for this family, and as he remembered, he realized that the change was happening right at this very moment. He found it hard to think, or to even breath, but he knew that if he didn't do something now that they might say things or do things that would forever damage the way they felt, and he for one would not let it happen that way. Richard White was no idiot, and thought of their second date when Lois revealed to him that she was just starting in her third month of pregnancy, but would not say anything about the father. He knew then as their love began to grow, that this very day might come, and he didn't know why he wasn't ready to yell at her and tell her this was all her fault. If there was anyone to blame, all three of them were at fault, Lois for not facing that this day would come, Superman for abandoning her when she needed him most, and even himself for letting things drag out so long, after The Man of Steel returned. He stood up from his desk and walked over to where she was still standing. "Lois, maybe this trip needs to be a time for us to think about things, clear our heads," he began.

She shut her eyes at his words and knew that he was right, even though the pain she was feeling now felt like a knife cutting through her heart. Why couldn't she just let him go, why had she let them go on for five years when she knew good and well deep down in her beating heart that Superman wouldn't stay gone forever, and then she knew that thought was wrong. Despite this pain she was feeling, Lois would not regret what they had, and slowly she managed to pull her gaze away from the streets below to look at Richard. "I think maybe you have a point."

Knowing that if he hugged her now, he would never be able to get out of his office without crying like a blubbering fool, Richard tore his gaze from her. "I do love you Lois," he said, and then with her watching him, he gathered what he needed from his desk, and left without turning around.

Now Lois knew why Superman had not said goodbye, it was the same reason Richard had not hugged her or kissed her, not because he loved her any less, but because he couldn't do that without falling apart. Again her gaze fell to the street far below her, and Lois took several very deep breaths. She still had articles to write, and after a few more minutes of standing at the window, Lois gathered enough strength to head back to her desk and get her day going.

* * *

The day had trudged by at a snails pace, and by the time Lois arrived at her bay front house, she was frazzled. In the back passenger seat of the car, strapped in his booster seat, Jason was sound asleep. He had no idea that Richard might not be coming back, and both of them agreed that until they knew for certain what was going to happen, that they would keep things the way they usually went while he was out of town on a business trip.

Somehow, Lois managed to get into the house with Jason against her left hip, and her other hand and arm loaded with her work things, and his school things. Now in her son's room, Lois had finished getting him dressed for bed, and stood by his bedside watching him sleep. Everyone had always said that Jason looked like her, but more and more she was seeing his father in him. Lois leaned down and kissed Jason's soft cheeks, and then walked out of his room, leaving his door open just a small amount. In her room, she pulled of her shoes and changed out of her work cloths, putting on a pair of gray sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt, before she headed downstairs with a pack of cigarettes. One she was outside she took one out, and lit it, and took in a deep breath of the smoke, shutting her eyes.

When she found out she was pregnant with Jason after two months of morning sickness, and denial, she quit smoking, and then after he was born, she had started back up as a means to unwind from the stress of having him in the NICU, after his early start. Lois took another draw from the cigarette as she sat down on one the chairs under the awning which faced the Bay. She knew that this didn't have to be the end for her and Richard, but then again she also knew that maybe it was time to address that. Lois loved him, but not in the way she had Superman. As she thought about him, and how to figure out living arrangements should she and Richard separate she began to feel shallow and superficial even. Before she knew the secret, she had always viewed Clark Kent as a close friend but nothing more. Lois went through an entire pack of Cigarettes over the next hour, something she hadn't done in over five years since having Jason. When she finally got upstairs, and after getting a shower she fell into bed and went right to sleep.

* * *

Something chirping woke Clark instantly from his sleep, and quickly he picked up the phone. "Hello," he said groggily. For a moment there wasn't any answer, and then he heard a sniff. "Jason is that you?"

"Mo, mo, mommy's sick, and my daddy is in London," said the small frightened voice from the other end of the receiver.

Now Clark was fully awake. "Okay buddy, everything will be all right," he said realizing it was only 2am. "Jason, will you go and wait for me to get there?" he asked, and when the little boy agreed to do that, Clark hung up, dressed in super speed and took off into the night sky.

On the top of the stairs, wearing a pair of long flannel, red and white checkered pajamas, Jason sat rubbing his eyes, and then he heard a knock at the door and ran to it. He didn't even ask who it was, and found his daddy on the other side. Any other time, Jason would have asked how Clark got there so fast, but he was so relieved to see him, that it didn't matter. Being hugged by his dad made him feel less afraid, and after they finished hugging, Jason led him upstairs.

Something occurred to Clark as Jason pulled him up the four steps leading to the top level of the house. "Hey pal, does your mommy know that you called me?" Jason hesitated and then shook his head. Clark knelt down and turned Jason around. "Why don't you go and tell her that I'm here okay." Jason nodded his head and continued on to his mom's room on his own, leaving Clark to wait, and wonder how Jason had figured out his number so fast.

A moment later, Jason walked out of the room followed by his mommy who looked horrible. Lois had been lying in bed when Jason told her that Clark was there, and now she felt guilty for smoking so many cigarettes and pulling Clark into all of this. "I'm better," she said, even though she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach several times.

Able to see right through her lie, Clark knew she was not well at all, and knelt down to Jason's level. "You go on back to bed, and I'll take care of your mommy," he said, knowing that Lois was glaring at him now. When Jason threw his arms around him, Clark held onto him and shut his eyes. "Sleep well okay," he said as Jason left his arms to hug his mommy. Both of them watched as Jason returned to his room, and only when his door was shut, and Clark could see he was in bed, did he turn to face Lois.

"I don't need you to take care of me," she said weakly, and as she said that she turned and ran back into her room. As Lois hugged around the toilet retching up the last remains of dinner, she decided that she would never again touch another cigarette. After she was sure she was finished, Lois managed to get back up by crawling to the sink, and using the edge to pull herself up. There she wet a washcloth with cool water, and blotted her face, and then walked into her room finding Clark there with a large glass of water. "Just go," she said not able to stand looking at him right now. He had his glasses off, and she knew if he stayed she would start crying like a baby.

Realizing that she wasn't going to relax until he left he put the water down on her bedside table. "Call me if you need anything," he said. Lois nodded her head and he turned and left, checking on Jason before he locked everything up and then left through his son's Window.

* * *

The next morning, the phone rang, and it was Lois asking him to pick Jason up and take him to school. When Clark arrived in the new pickup he had purchased along with the house, Lois was wearing a bathrobe over what she had on earlier that morning, and still looked pretty bad. Jason was standing next to her looking sad, and watched as his dad put his booster into the passenger seat. After the seat was in place, Clark walked over to the two of them, and Jason hugged his mom's leg sniffing.

Knowing that her son missed his daddy, and was still upset about last night, Lois knelt down and hugged him. "Mommy loves you very much, but I need to stay in bed today so I can get to feeling better. Your dad will bring you home after work tonight okay?" she asked as Jason hugged her as tight as he could.

"What if you get sick again?" he mumbled into her shoulder.

Lois shut her eyes and sighed as she held on to him. "I won't honey, I am going to sleep and eat some broth, and that will make me feel better."

Jason finally let go of her and reluctantly went with his dad, allowing Clark to lift him up and get him into the truck, and then strap him into his booster. When the door shut he looked out the window at his mommy still sniffing, and even as they drove away he turned in his seat to wave at her.

Once on the main road, Clark tried to start conversation with his son several times, but Jason wouldn't say a word. He knew something was going on, and part of him wanted to go and confront Lois, but he knew better than to do that. Confronting Lois about anything was like taking on a fight with a pack of wild dogs, and he for once was not going to push her into telling him what was happening, though he had a feeling it was something to do with Richard.

The school Jason attended was in a light tan building and by then Jason told him how to manage the drop off line. When it was Jason's turn, a woman with long red hair opened the passenger door and un-strapped Jason from his seat and lifted him down to the ground. "You must be his dad; Miss Lane said you would be bringing him by this morning. When you come back today, you will want to get in that lane right there," she said pointing to his left. Clark nodded his head and tried to get Jason's attention to wave at him, but his little boy was intent on looking at the ground as his teacher let him over to the line of other children in his class.

* * *

Being a quiet little boy, and very smart, Jason didn't socialize too much with the other children. All the children at Einstein's Montessori were very bright children, and there were a few kids just like Jason who didn't enjoy having to socialize with anyone. Lois and Richard had been made aware of that by his teachers, but thus far their few attempts to invite children over to play had ended with Jason playing by himself while the other child played by himself or herself.

Seated a circular art table, Jason was busy coloring a picture, and drew the attention of Miss Winset, one of three teachers who taught in his class of 15 children. He knew she was watching him color, but didn't stop, filling the entire piece of white art paper with various shades of blues and greens.

"Jason will you tell me what that is?" she asked when he finished.

The little boy looked his picture over, and thought quietly for nearly a minute until she prompted him once again. "This is the ocean," he said pointing to the darker blue colors." When she asked him what the green was, he told her they were crystals, but not anymore than that.

Miss Winset often wondered if this little boy would end up being an artist of some sort, because his drawings were already more complex by far than any other student in this class. "Do you mind if we hang it up?" she asked, and when he gave her permission she left with it.

Another teacher, Mrs. Davies clapped her hands calling the children to line up at the door, and Jason went over along with the other students to do what he was told. He waited until he was the last one in line, and then followed a girl named Rebecca out of the class, on their way to their Gym class.

* * *

At work, Clark managed to stay for at least an hour before he heard cries for help, and as he was pushing his way through the crowded office, he overheard a woman named Maggie talking to another woman about Lois. They were talking about how they had seen Lois and Richard in his office having a heated discussion, and then the other woman said something about Richard might be staying in London, because he found out that Jason wasn't his true son. Had it not been for the increasing cries for help, Clark would have given both women a piece of his mind, but as it was Superman was needed.

Flying high into the sky, Superman rocketed west and right into a huge storm. Lightning flashed all around him, and he saw a tornado off to east, ravaging a small farming town. Hovering for only a moment, Superman shot into action, flying up and over the tornado where he began to twist just as fast. His counter balance of wind made the tornado die out, and the rest of the horrible storm began to dissipate, but before he could fly down to help the people in the small Kansas town, he heard more screams, and cries and another storm.

* * *

School had let out almost an hour ago, and Jason sat on the steps crying as Rebecca and Miss Davies, her momma tried to calm him down. Some of the boys in his gym class had laughed and made fun of him because one of the girls beat him in a relay, and that topped with having his mom sick and his daddy in London as well as his other Dad late had really upset him.

"Don't cry Jason, your dad will come get you," Rebecca tried as she rested her head against his left side. She was one of the only children who took time to try and make friends with him. As he continued to cry she looked down the drive and saw a red pick up truck pull down to the school. "Jason your dad is here now," she said as he continued to softly cry with his face hidden on his lap. She watched her mommy go out and greet Jason's new daddy, and then he was there.

Seeing his son so upset put a knot in Clark's stomach, and hearing that the other kids were already giving him a hard time made him feel guilty. Clark sat down on the other side of Jason and gently lifted him, and settled him on his lap hugging him as he gently rocked him. "I'm sorry I was so late," he said lamely. Jason's cries slowly subsided, and when he was ready, they said goodbye to Rebecca and Mrs. Davies and headed off for the planet.

When they arrived at the office, Clark carried Jason in one arm and his briefcase in his other free hand, and noticed that Maggie was eyeing them, but instead of letting that bother him, he simply winked at her and went on over to his desk. Settling Jason in his chair, Clark took of his brown dress coat and black dress hat and put them on a near by coat rack. When he got back to his seat he asked Jason what he wanted to do, and when his son told him he wanted to color, Clark let him go to his mom's desk and get Crayons for that. Soon Jason was settled on his lap coloring, while Clark held him with one arm while he looked over his notes, managing to type with his other free hand.

* * *

It was close to dinner when Lois heard Jason call out to her a moment before his small arms were wrapped around her left leg. She had spent the day in bed sleeping, and thinking about what had happened between her and Richard, but right now she wanted to hold her little boy, and so she knelt down and gathered him in her arms as Clark entered the kitchen with Jason's bags.

"Thank you so much for taking him for me today," she said after Jason scampered off to play his key board. By then Lois was standing up in front of the counter as she cut up vegetables for a salad.

"It wasn't any problem, you look like you are feeling better," he said seeing if he could get anything out of her. She kept chopping her vegetables, but did answer him with a small head nod. "Well I'll just head on out, call me if you need anything," he said. When she didn't say anything else, Clark turned around and walked into the Living Room, over to where Jason was playing the Keyboard. "See you around pal," he said. He knelt down and Jason barreled into him giving him a really big hug. Clark held him close kissing the top of his head. "Be good for your mom," he said softly. He felt his son's head nod up and down, and then Clark left them, ready to go out on his nightly rounds.

* * *

Later that evening, after letting Jason speak to Richard, Lois got him settled in front of the TV with a movie, something she rarely allowed, and then went to her room to talk. "I've been doing a lot of thinking Richard, and maybe it would be best for us to move on. Jason and I will find a place closer to town, and…" She was cut off as he refused to let her do that.

On his end Richard had been thinking along the same lines, but it still hurt. "No, you and Jason stay at the house, he is used to being there, and our separating is going to be hard enough on him as it is." Richard said. He heard her take in a deep breath and let it out. "Lois, we can try and work this out," he said wishing there was some other way.

"I'm not being fair to you or Jason by letting it go on like this Richard, and I haven't even had the strength to tell Clark about this." Again she thought of him being Superman and knew that they needed to talk. There were times like now when she wished she could just run away from it all, take Jason, and Richard and just move far away and pretend none of it had ever happened, but she knew that this was the way of it, and like it or not she needed to stop hiding from it. They talked for a while longer, and then Lois went down stairs and found Jason asleep on the sofa. She switched off his movie, and then carried him up to his bed and got him tucked in without waking him. Lois knelt down by his bedside stroking her fingers through his hair as she had done so many times these past few nights as he slept. "I'm sorry baby, you won't understand any of this," she whispered as he turned over onto his right side breathing in deeply.

Again Lois retreated outside and this time without her cigarettes. She walked down to the edge of the water, to where Richard's sea plane was tied up, and looked out over the bay to the city which was about a mile away across the water. The lights twinkled at her, but Lois didn't really notice. She turned around when she heard his voice behind her, and kept her distance from him. "Richard is moving out, we are separating." How she managed to say that without crying was beyond her, and when Superman took a step forward, Lois took one step back and he stopped. His blue eyes told her that he was feeling guilty, but she had no support to offer him this night.

"Lois, I never came back to hurt you like this," he finally said and watched as she looked away. "I won't let this happen," he told her and she looked at him again. "Lois you and I can't have what you and Richard have now. There are too many dangers for both you and Jason, surely you know that," he pleaded.

"I know that you are the man I love and that if I have to I will raise Jason alone, with you and Richard visiting him, but I can't let Richard stay when my love is with you." She walked past him to the small porch under the awning where they had talked a few weeks ago, and again as he had done that night he followed her. When he was sitting across from her she spoke. "I never stopped loving you; I was just so hurt when you left me, that I pushed that love as far away as I could and tried to find love with Richard. He is a good man but I knew I could never commit to him. Even if you had never come back to us, I would have put a stop to things sooner or later," she admitted, and then shook her head. "I must sound like the most horrible person leading him on like I did," she said.

Superman could see she was hurting, and when he walked over to her and knelt down he took her hands in his own. "I don't think you did it deliberately," he tried. When she looked at him his heart thudded painfully in his chest and when she asked him what he would think if she had done that deliberately he stood her up and pulled her gently into his arms. "My leaving was the cause of this, and there are times when I think about reversing it all," he confessed.

Not knowing what he meant Lois pulled away from him to look into his blue eyes. "How can you reverse this, I don't understand." She listened as he told her about the earthquake that happened the first time Luther tried to take over a piece of land, and how she had actually died, but then how he had reversed the spin of the earth, and like a tape in a VCR backed things up to before she was killed. "That was only moments in time, taking away years, as painful as it is now, I don't know that I would have you do that," she admitted. He hugged her again, and Lois let him. This hug wasn't one of intimacy, just one of need for both of them, and when she felt him pull away she shut her eyes. "I should go inside," she said. She wanted to kiss him, but did not and before she could add regret she walked inside her house and shut the door.

* * *

Okay reviews, please, I know this sounds grim, and I honestly don't know where its headed at this point but please at your thoughts. Thanks. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Separate Ways**

The last week of October was cooler, and the days more dreary. Richard had stayed in London an extra week not because of the meeting, but because he and Lois agreed that they still needed time to decide on whether to push forward on their relationship, or simply to put an end to it. Now he was back, and the two of them agreed that it was time to go their separate ways. Even though Lois had offered time and again to move out of the house, Richard wouldn't have it. He told her to stay there as long as she needed, because he was intending to go back to London. With both of them in agreement that their engagement was now off, they both faced having to try and explain to Jason about the change in living arrangements.

Unaware of what was about to happen, Jason was excited just as every other child his age, at the thought of going trick or treating, and was telling Richard all about the party his class was having in a few days as the two of them walked through the park. "I want to be a Pirate," he said as he held onto his daddy's hand.

Next to his son, Richard listened to what the little boy was saying, and let his excitement wash over him. He and Lois agreed that tonight they were going to tell Jason, though right now he was doing his best not to think about it. "So what kind of Pirate do you want to be munchkin?" Richard asked as they arrived at the swings. These particular sets of swings were not the standard type. They were almost like horses on a carousel, the difference being, that the horses on the set were made to swing on.

After picking out a horse painted mostly black, Jason climbed on and let his daddy get him going, and laughed as the wind caught in his face. He loved this set of swings the very best of all, and could spent hours on them if his parents would allow that. "I want to have a patch over my eye," he called out as Richard watched him from a bench a few feet away.

When Jason finished his time on the swings, it was time to head to the house. He complained about having to leave even though they had spent most of the time after school here, but Richard got his mind off leaving by grabbing him from behind and tossing him once in the air before he settled him on his shoulder.

"We have the best time daddy," Jason said, not knowing how much his words hurt. When they got to the car, Jason let his daddy strap him in, and almost the entire trip across town and over the bridge that led into their neighborhood, Jason talked about being a Pirate.

* * *

Seated on the porch which faced the lake, Clark sat talking to his mom, and Ben, who now shared his secret. He had seen little of Lois since she told him about Richard moving back to London, and felt responsible for all that was happening. "I don't know, sometimes I think it would have been good to just stay away," and as soon as he said that he shook his head. If he would not have returned, Lois and all those on the plane would have been killed, and Billions of other lives would have ended because of Lex Luther, likely Jason among them.

Ben could see that these two needed to talk and stood up. He gave Martha a kiss on her cheek and a nod to Clark, before he walked back inside the house he shared with her.

Seeing her son in so much pain made her want to cry, but Martha was a strong woman and knew she had to help Clark through this. "Clark, Lois is capable of making her own choices, and from what you have said about their relationship, it sounds to me like she would have made this decision with or without your return," she said, not realizing Lois had told him something similar to that.

A light breeze blew in off of the lake, and Clark looked out seeing the sun setting in the reflection of the clear almost blue water. He thought about what his mom had just said, and knew she was right, but his thoughts were more on how this would hurt Jason. "Jason loves Richard, and has only known him as a father. I know that I have been around too, but he doesn't yet see me like that, and I'm not sure he ever will." He said. He hated this worrying, hated it because right now he couldn't do anything but wait.

"Jason will pull through this, children are resilient in that way," she said as she reached out from beside him and put her hand over his, glad he had come home for a visit, even though it was a time of stress in his life. "Come on, if we don't watch it, Ben will start dinner without us," Martha said trying to lighten the mood.

* * *

After quiet family dinner, and a family game of Go Fish, Lois and Richard sat down with Jason who was already dressed for bed, wearing Simba pajamas. They both gave him lots of hugs and kisses, and as well tickled him mercilessly, and then they looked at one another and did what they both agreed was necessary.

"Jason, daddy and I have to tell you something that is going to be very hard for you to hear and to understand, but we both want you to know how much we love you," Lois said. Jason was sitting between them, and as she looked at him she watched his small brow furrow.

Jason heard the words his mommy told him, and tried to figure out what she meant, and even as smart as he was he could not. "I don't understand mommy," he finally said as he looked at her seeing a tear slide down her cheek. Jason bit his lip and looked at his daddy, who was also looking very sad, but Richard gave him a wink, and Jason knew that meant it would all be okay, and he relaxed a little.

Richard could tell Lois was struggling and he took a very deep breath and let it out. "I have to go back to London, and I need to stay there for much longer than a week," he said. Richard watched as Jason tried to comprehend what he had just said, and then he saw a smile on his little face.

"Good, mommy and me can come too," he tried, not realizing that it wasn't going to be that way.

Lois reached out and took Jason's hand in her own. At this point they really couldn't tell him why they were separating, and then Lois told Jason that they could not go because daddy was not going to come back. The look on her son's face as she said those words tore at her heart, and when he began to cry, and shake his head, they both held him and tried to comfort him.

"Daddy don't leave us," Jason said climbing onto Richard's lap. He clung to Richard shaking his head back and forth. "Why won't you come back daddy?" he said through his soft cries.

Richard tried to explain why, but in the end it only made Jason cry more and all either he or Lois could do was hold their little as he sobbed softly in their arms. Nearly an hour later he had fallen asleep with his head resting on Lois's lap and the rest of his body stretch out over Richard's. When he was sure Jason would remain asleep, Richard put his arm over and under Jason's neck and head cradling him in his arms and then together both he and Lois went upstairs and put their son down in his bed. Tomorrow, very early in the morning, he would take his plane to the airport, and from there take a jet to London. In the room he and Lois had shared over these past five years, Richard continued the packing he had started three days ago.

As Richard packed, Lois went downstairs to the office, and sat at her computer. She recalled her conversation with Clark, before she knew he was Superman, about his leaving without saying good bye, and now she understood with clarity why he had chosen to do things the way he had. Lois still considered it cowardly, but she also saw his reasoning, much more than she had before. After starring out the window beyond her computer, Lois shut it off and spun around in her seat, looking at the rows of shelves which lined the walls of this narrow room. The shelves were full of books of every sort, books such as the self help sort she had gotten to try and stop smoking, books on how to raise a healthy happy child, and even photo albums. Those she eyed, and was tempted to look through them, but she knew doing that would only make the pain she was feeling now more unbearable. When she walked upstairs she found Richard standing at the entry of Jason's room watching him sleep.

Hearing Lois come up the stairs, Richard turned and looked at her, and could tell she was hurting just as much as he was. "I thought maybe I should head out now," he said, not knowing what to do about Jason, and that frustrated him. For the first time since becoming his father, Richard didn't know how to help him, or which would be the best way to leave, either telling Jason goodbye and stand helpless as he cried, or to leave now which might be easier on all of them.

Just as lost on what to do as he was, Lois couldn't offer him any advice, though what she wanted to do was to take his suitcases and hide them and keep him here. "I think you should stay and tell him goodbye," she finally said. He agreed to that, and as well to take the couch, and both of them headed their separate ways to try and get some kind of rest.

* * *

The next morning was really hard for Jason, who had begged Richard not to leave, and had locked himself in his room when he did leave. Lois managed to get him calmed down enough to get his medicine into him, and wanted to stay home with him, but she had a deadline at work, and she also knew that sending Jason to school would keep his mind hopefully off of what had just happened.

Sitting in his booster, in the back of the car, Jason watched Lilo and Stitch, holding Trampster on his lap. Stitch had just arrived on earth, when the car pulled to a stop, and Jason peered out the window seeing Miss Pelfrey headed in his direction. "Mommy, I don't want to go today," he said softly.

"I know munchkin, but we both need to try and make it through today," she said as she unlocked the automatic locks on the doors, as Miss Pelfrey arrived to take Jason to his class. His teacher opened the door, and when she got him unbuckled, Jason went the other way opposite of the door, until he was able to reach his mom for a hug. Lois held on to him for a few moments and then kissed him. "Be good for your teachers," she said and then looked to her right, and behind as Jason left the car to head for his class. His walk was slow and drawn, and Lois had already informed his teachers about the separation and had given them Clark's phone number in the event that they could not get her. Once on her way, Lois geared her mind toward work, trying not to think about how much she already missed Richard, trying not to think about facing everyone at the office.

* * *

The same boys who had always teased him, had been at it all morning, and finally at recess, Jason found a way to get away from the watchful eyes of his teachers. He had known about the loose bar on the black fence that was supposed to keep them in, and other people out for a while now, and as he managed to slip through he heard her voice and looked wide eyed as Rebecca squeezed through as well. "You have to go back there," Jason said sounding a little like his mom; he could be authoritative when he wanted to be.

Rebecca Davies had soft blond curls and pretty blue eyes, and was not the least bit afraid to disobey the rules. "Two is safe, one is not," she reminded him. Even though Jason threw her a look of exasperation, he grabbed on to her by the hand, and led her away from the school down the long dirt lane which led back out to the main road. "Where are we going Jason? She asked as they hid behind a tree while a car passed by.

"To the airport to get my daddy back," Jason said not realizing that Richard was already on a plane bound for London England. Sometimes, since he had saved his mommy from the ugly baddy on the ship, Jason could hear things better than he ever had, and as he held Rebecca's hand while they trekked onward, he wondered what Lex Luther had meant when he asked his mommy about his real daddy.

No longer worried about having to take the medicine from his inhaler, Jason was able to race with Rebecca, and soon the two of them were laughing and carrying on. Neither one of them had any idea of the panic they were soon to cause, nor were they aware that the police were already on their way. Soon they saw several cars pass them by, but they were in the overgrown weeds that lined the narrow country road, and while they saw and heard the cars, the people in the cars did not see or hear them.

* * *

Seated at her desk, Lois was going through several pieces of paper trying to get the notes she needed to finish up her most recent editorial, but she was missing a crucial part of what was required to be able to do that. Throwing her hands up in the air, she shut her eyes wanting nothing more than to go home, crawl in bed, and stay there for a week. Since last night, Lois had been wondering if she did the right thing, as far as Richard was concerned, and even though it had caused Jason great pain, she knew that sometimes the most difficult decisions were the right ones to make, at least she hoped that was the case.

"Uh, Hi Lois," Clark said as he walked up to the left side of her desk startling her. He had seen her throw her hands up in the air, and was worried about her, having known about last night.

After a moment's hesitation, Lois turned to face her co-worker and friend. "Hey Clark," she managed though her enthusiasm sounded fake even to her ears.

Clark could tell she was uncomfortable with him there, but he wanted to try and help her if he could. "Anything I can do for you?" he asked.

Lois thought about that for a second, wanting him to go away, but she knew he meant well and she knew he was concerned for her. "No, I just need to find this paper I had, so that I can sketch out this editorial, but I think I may have…" Before she could finish what she was saying her phone began to ring. As she picked it up, Clark began to walk away. "Lois Lane," she said expecting it to be someone wanting to report a story.

On the other end, Principle Newberry was on the line, and began to speak. "Miss Lane, we have a problem here at the school. When the children were coming in from Constructive Play, your son and another girl were not among them."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lois nearly dropped the phone. "What, could you repeat that?" she asked. Suddenly her mind began to race, her worry since encountering Lex Luther, and the fact that he likely knew about Jason's parentage, was that he would try and take him away, and now maybe that was happening.

Just as he sat down at his desk, Clark heard Lois's panicked voice and went back to her, standing behind her as she began to answer questions that related to their son. She was answering questions about what he looked like, and from that Clark knew that he was missing. Now he wanted to leave, but did not, instead waiting for her to finish. When she hung up the phone she spun around to face him.

"It's Jason, he and another child are missing Clark, what if Lex found a way to get him," she said doing her best not to panic, but as it was her hands were shaking. As he was about to answer her, Jimmy came over to them, and Clark took charge. "Jimmy, Lois and I have to go to Jason's school, I need you to tell Perry there is an emergency, and that we might not be back today," he said, praying that when they arrived the children would be found safe and sound. The young photographer sprung into action, and as soon as he was gone, Clark helped Lois into her coat and they headed out to her car, though when they got there she agreed that he should fly there and see if he could help find them.

* * *

"Knock, knock," Jason said to his friend as they drew closer and closer to the main road. He was still holding her hand having the grandest of times.

"Whose there?" she asked. Rebecca was also having a grand time, even though she worried about what would happen if they were found out.

"Orange," Jason replied as he started to laugh.

"Orange who?" asked Rebecca as she laughed with him.

"Orange you glad I didn't say Banana?" As he finished Jason laughed so hard that they both stumbled and ended up on the soft grass. Even Rebecca liked his Jokes, and that gave him a little more confidence. When they stopped laughing, they heard cars speed by, and Jason crawled as close as he could get to the road without being seen.

There were police cars and as Rebecca saw she gasped. "Jason, we are in big trouble," she said. She had seen the shows on TV where the police guys arrested people and now she was afraid that she and Jason would have to go to jail because they were out where they should not be.

He could tell that she was afraid and held her hand. "We have to hurry, because I still gotta go tell my daddy not to go," Jason said. They stood back up, and both of them began to run toward the main road.

* * *

As soon as he landed at the school, the principle greeted him and told him about the loose bar on the fence. Superman set about fixing that fairly fast, relieved that they had gone off on their own free will. After he did that he flew up over the school, and used his hearing, listening for Jason's voice over all of the other voices that he could hear. When he finally did hear him, his words put him into action. What he heard was, "Take my hand and when all the cars get done going by we can cross over there."

Superman rocked toward the main road, and when he got there he found the two children half way across with huge truck barreling toward them. The man of steel swooped down, and grabbed both of the children pulling them against his chest as he flew them into the air. He heard the little girl scream, but Jason did not, seeming to know that everything would be okay. After they were out of danger, he landed not far from the school, putting each child down on their feet. "Are you all right?" he asked, seeing that the girl still had her eyes shut.

"That was fun, can we do it again?" Jason asked.

As he said that, Superman had a hard time not chuckling, but this was quite serious. "Will you tell me her name?" Jason told him, and Superman addressed her, and got her to open her eyes. "Now then, where were you two headed?" he asked, wanting to hold his little boy and never let go of him. He wondered if Jason had ever done anything like this before, and then noticed the pained look on his son's face, and suddenly he realized exactly what Jason had attempted to do. "All right, let's get you two back to the school," he said. As he stood up Jason looked at the ground and hunched his shoulders over. He heard Jason say that he didn't want to go back, and wasn't sure how to handle that, and then he saw Lois running toward them with Mrs. Davies right on her heals.

Lois had been talking to Mrs. Davies when she saw Superman land with both children in his arms and now as she arrived at their side; she knelt down and pulled Jason into her arms. "Don't you ever do this again," Lois said as her little boy began to cry. Superman flew off as the two mother's tended to their children, and a few moments later, Clark Kent arrived by Lois's side as she continued to hold their son.

"What were you doing Jason?" she asked as he began to calm down some.

He sniffed and looked at her with sad eyes. "I wanted to tell daddy not to go to London," he replied and was again in her arms.

Lois felt Clark's hand on her shoulder, and was grateful that he was there with her. "Jason, daddy is already on his way there, and it is very important that you promise never to do this again. When you are at school, you have to stay here until I come to get you," she said. Jason was crying again, and she managed to stand up with Clark's help. She turned to face him asking him if he would tell the Principle that she was taking Jason with them. When Clark had gone, Lois carried Jason to the car and opened the passenger door with one hand, and then leaned inside and got him strapped into his booster seat.

"Mommy, can I watch Stitch?" Jason asked through a yawn as Lois blotted his tears.

"No. You won't be able to watch any movies for a few days, and when we get home you will have to stay in your room," she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead. Jason seemed to know without asking that this was his punishment, and when he hung his head she felt guilty again.

The ride back to the house was quiet, Lois had already decided that she and Jason needed to stay at the house and try and get used to being the only ones there. She was also glad that Clark was driving them, because her nerves were again frazzled, and all she wanted to do now was go home, put Jason down for a nap and take one for herself.

* * *

The cool evening air blew across the patio beneath the awning, drawing Lois out of her thoughts. Jason was already asleep in her bed, after they read about ten of his favorite stories, and she was glad to have this time to herself. He had spent the day in his room, his punishment for leaving school, and nearly getting himself killed in the process. Neither one of them had gotten that nap she had hoped they would get, and as a result she was now exhausted. The house seemed empty without Richard there to share her time with, and it mirrored the way she felt in her heart.

She lifted her head up, and shook it wondering when life had become so hard to deal with. As she shut her eyes, she heard a soft whooshing sound off to her left, and without opening her eyes she knew Superman was there. "He's asleep," she said as she opened her eyes to look at him. Lois almost felt like blaming him for all of this, but she knew it was more her fault than anyone else's and when she saw the look of concern in his eyes she looked away.

Tired of not saying anything, Superman took the seat next to Lois, and then he looked at her. "Lois, I'm sorry about what has happened with you and Richard," he began, not really knowing where to start. This was just as hard for him as it was for her, but for different reasons. Time and again he came back to one of many things his father had told him on the recordings left with him at the Fortress of Solitude; _even though you live among them, you are not one of them._ As much as he had tried all of these years to hold to that, since meeting Lois, he had desired to have what other men could have.

Once he said that, Lois looked at him and watched him struggling with something, perhaps some inner conflict, and she too felt guilty, as well as tired, sad, and still a bit put off. "Sometimes," she said drawing his attention away from his thoughts and back to her. "I," she hesitated not wanting to hurt him more, but for some reason she needed to let him know how she felt. Lois sighed, and then said, "There are times when I wish that I would never have allowed my relationship with Richard to go as far as it has, but after you left, I would sit up at night crying, wondering what it was that I had done to keep you away." Thinking about that time was nearly as painful as what was happening now between she and Richard, though when Superman reached out to take one of her hands, Lois shook her head, he needed to hear this and if he even touched her, she knew she would cry again, and that was something she would not allow. "When I met Richard, I had just found out I was pregnant with Jason, and after our second date, and even though he knew I was pregnant, he kept wanting to see me." Lois shut her eyes then, "God what I mess I've made."

Superman stood up and turned away from her for a moment, and then he looked down at her. "This is not your fault, if I would have had any courage at all I would never have gone away, I would have known that what was out there was not the home I was born in, but a graveyard, and I would have been here for you, but I did leave you, and I now have to live with that regret for the rest of my life," he said.

Lois stood up then, and in an instant she was in the arms of the man she had always loved. At first she was content just to hug him, but soon she lifted her head to look up at him, and found him looking down at her. There was longing in his eyes, the same sort of longing she had been feeling since she saw him as a flash through that airplane window, the day she thought she would die. As he slowly lowered his head, and for half a second she thought of Richard, but then their lips touched, and all that she had wanted was right there.

The kiss he shared with Lois was like a gentle caress, and when he drew away from her he smiled because her eyes were shut. He wanted to kiss her again, but as soon as he was about to, his super hearing picked up sounds from upstairs, and then he heard Jason calling out for Lois. "Jason needs you, and I hear trouble," he said. Before he could leave her, Lois reached up and when he felt her hands on the back of his head, he willing went back to her lips, giving her a more demanding kiss, and then he drew away looking at her for a brief moment before he flew away into the night.

For a moment, Lois stood rooted where she was. A million thoughts were going through her head, but she ignored the guilty thoughts, and actually managed to smile as she turned to go inside her house to tend to her child's needs. She wasn't sure what would happen now, but for right now things were looking pretty good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Doubts and Fears**

Waking up to find the bed empty on the other side was among several of the things Lois hated about starting her day. She missed those early morning talks she and Richard used to have, and as well the other perks of being an engaged woman. Now as she lay in bed, Lois considered calling in to the Planet and asking for more time off work. These past two weeks had been time for she and Jason to get used to the new change in their lives, and while Jason seemed on the mend, Lois felt worse.

Lois had never liked the unknown, she had always liked to find the truth of things and see them in a clear cut manor. Now, however, her life was not as clear cut as it once had been. She and Richard had already called off the engagement, and even though Clark and Superman had left her alone for the past two weeks, she knew that she had to make some decisions about how things should work out between them. Taking a look at the alarm clock on her night stand to the left of her bed, Lois groaned and sat up.

* * *

An hour and a half, later, Lois pulled her car into the carpool line at Jason's school. In the back passenger side seat, her son was watching Lilo and Stitch, a favorite movie of his, but as she looked at him through her rearview mirror, Lois saw him looking out the window. "Jason," she said, and waited as she got his attention. "I want you to stay here today. I don't want you to sneak off as you did the last time," Lois said gently, and actually saw a smile as well as a look of mischief in his eyes.

When his mommy told him that, Jason thought back to that particular day, and how much fun he had with Rebecca. He also remembered how Superman had swooped down from the sky and snatched them from the highway, taking them high up in the air. "I will be good mommy," he finally said as his teacher, Miss Pelfrey, opened the door. Jason blew his mommy a kiss and then held his teacher's hand as she led him over to the line of students in his class.

Once she was on Highway 233, heading into Metropolis, Lois turned on the news, and the first words she heard from the news caster was how Superman had saved hundreds of residence in California from a landslide caused by all of the rain they had been having. "It's nice to know someone can count on you," Lois said as she hit another button hearing the same report on that station. She tried a third station, and again it was reporting on Superman's save. Not paying attention to the road, Lois didn't see the stalled car in front of her coming up fast, and then when she did look she turned the wheel hard to the right and lost control.

* * *

At his desk, Clark had just started on an article on Superman's resent activities in California, when his phone began to ring. Without missing a beat he picked it up and found Lois on the other end, sounding very shaken. "Lois, hold on," he said as she talked all at once. Even with his super abilities, trying to decipher what she was telling him due to her frantic insistent tone, Clark had a hard time trying to make out what she was telling him. "Lois, Lois, slow down," he finally said. He heard her take a few breaths, and when she began again she told him she was at the hospital, and that he needed to meet her there.

Not far from Clark's desk, Jimmy had developed some great photos of the man in blue, and after printing those out he turned around to tell Clark to have a look, but found his desk empty. Not more than a minute earlier Jimmy could have sworn he was there, and wondered why Clark always seemed to disappear.

* * *

When Clark arrived at Metropolis Hospital, he expected Lois to be there for some kind of story, when he didn't find her in the lobby and asked the receptionist if she had seen Miss Lane, he was informed that he would find her in room 207. Still expecting her to have found some sort of story, Clark made his way to that room, and when he opened the door, he found his partner and friend occupying the bed. Lois had a gauze bandage over the left side of her forehead. Clark also noticed that her left cheek looked bruised, and realized now why she had been so frantic. Quickly he walked over to the chair by the right side of the bed and sat down.

Lois wasn't much in the mood for talking, her car was totaled, and her nerves were frazzled. She knew this wasn't any of Clarks fault, but she still felt on the defensive. "I have to stay here over night for observations, so I need you to pick up our son from school," Lois said, and then added, "You also need to go and get him a new booster seat."

"Lois, I'm sorry, I…" Before he could say anymore she was looking at him, and he could see the hurt in her eyes.

"You what, you would have been there? Look I know you can't be everywhere all at once, I've been down that road where I know you have obligations to everyone else too, and I'll be fine," she said, though inside she really was not. Before she could say another word she found his lips on hers, and all other thoughts of trying to get rid of him left her mind. His kiss was gentle, and it had done its job to shut her up. When he gently pulled away from her, Lois was speechless.

As much as he loved Lois, Clark needed her to hear him out, and when she had interrupted him, and started talking about how she knew he had to be there for everyone else, all he could think about was kissing her, and for once he went with what was human and did just that. "You and Jason are important to me, more than everyone else. Yes I have an obligation to help others, but not at the cost of keeping you safe." Clark knew discussing this here was not a good idea, and realized that it was time for him to go get the things he would need for Jason this evening. "Get some rest," he said as he leaned in and kissed her again. He looked at her for a moment, amused at the shocked look on her face, and then he turned toward the door, throwing out a goodbye before he left.

Long after he had gone, Lois tried to figure out what had just happened. She had never seen Clark so confident, though she knew in reality that he was, and that in the disguise of Clark Kent he was shy and less confident, she had never seen him break from his routine act until just a little bit ago. Without even realizing it her fingers went to her lips, and as she drifted off to sleep, she pushed the voices of reason away, deciding that she would worry about that later.

* * *

After purchasing a new booster seat for his truck, and one for Lois's car, Clark had gone back to his house and finished Jason's room. He had gotten his old bed from the farm before his mom moved away, and an old dresser as well as a desk. He had completed painting Jason's room and arranging the furniture weeks ago, but had not put any sheets on the bed, and so he had spent the time between his visit with Lois and when he was to pick up his son, getting it all ready for Jason's stay this evening.

On is way to the school, Clark thought about what had happened to Lois and knew that he would have to come to terms with not always being able to know when she, or even Jason was in danger. If he was going to find a way to make things work out with the woman he loved, then he would have to realize that even as Superman he wasn't perfect, and he guessed that was why his father had told him that even though he had been raised as a Human, he was not one of them. Jor-El had never visited earth, to his knowledge, but he seemed to know about human nature, and Clark guessed that his father had wanted to spare him the pain of the sort of relationship he was now facing with Lois. Clark knew there was more to it than that, but right now as he pulled into the carpool line at his son's school, he pushed those thoughts aside.

Standing next to Rebecca, Jason listened as she told him her own Joke. Today hadn't been too bad; they had a visit from a police officer who had taught them about strangers, though Jason had known all the man had taught, because his mommy had told him not to talk to people he didn't know. The part Jason liked about that visit, was getting to pet Nora, the German Shepherd who helped Officer Jones.

Rebecca had finished her Joke only to find that Jason wasn't really paying attention to her. "Jason did you hear a word I said?"

Jason looked at her and before he could defend himself, Miss Pelfrey was walking toward him. Looking out at the line of cars waiting to pick up the students at his school, Jason didn't see his mommy's car, and then spotted the red pickup. "I'll see you tomorrow Rebecca," he called out as he walked toward the pickup wondering why his mommy wasn't there. Since the pickup was higher off the ground than his mommy's car, Jason let his teacher help him into his booster seat, and after he was strapped in he turned toward his dad. "Where is mommy?"

Clark pulled out of the carpool line, onto the narrow road which led out to the Highway, and knew he had to tell Jason, but he wasn't looking forward to it. "Your mommy hurt herself today, and she has to stay in the hospital tonight," he said glancing over at his son who was starring at him in shock and disbelief.

Hearing that his mommy was hurt scared Jason and when he finally did find his voice he told his dad that they needed to go there so that he could take care of her. "Mommy needs me," he said trying his best not to cry.

Even though he had promised Lois not to bring Jason by the hospital, Clark was having second thoughts about that now. "Jason, she doesn't want you to see her there, she doesn't want you to worry," he said, though he knew his little boy was very worried. He couldn't look at him because he was driving, but Clark could hear his heart beating very fast, and then he heard Jason's sharp intake of breath, and realized that his little boy was having an Asthma attack. Glancing in his rearview mirror, Clark made sure he was far enough ahead of the other cars to make a break for the side of the road, and when he stopped his truck he used his x-ray vision to locate Jason's inhaler, which was in his back pack. Clark got that out and put it in Jason's hand, and watched as his son took a puff of the medicine.

His lungs suddenly hurt, and Jason knew he had to calm himself down the way his mommy had always taught him to do. He shut his eyes, and focused on drawing in fresh air to his lungs and after a few moments they started to feel better. "I'm scared," he said in a tiny voice and then he found himself being taken out of his booster, and a moment later he was in the comforting arms of his father.

"She will be okay pal, I'm sorry I scared you," Clark said feeling guilty. He should have gotten Jason back to his house, and guessed there would be mistakes like that for a while until he got used to being a dad. When he was sure Jason would be all right, Clark got him back in his seat, buckled in, and then headed for home.

* * *

Her phone ringing roused Lois from her restless sleep, and when she answered it she found Jason on the other end. "Hi munchkin, boy am I glad to hear your voice," she said, and she truly was.

Seated in the big overstuffed recliner at his daddy's house, Jason was dressed for bed, and his hair was still wet from the bath he had taken just a little bit ago. "Mommy, are you going to be home tomorrow when I get home from school?"

"Yes, I'm doing much better. How was your day with your dad?" Lois asked, interested to see if Jason had a good time, or if being with Clark had made him miss Richard.

Jason thought about the fun he had with his father, and told his mom all about the big yard in back of the house. "Dad even has a swing put up for me, and it's made out of wood. I can climb up the ladder and go into a fort and then I can slide down the sliding board, and in the middle there is a hole with a rope and I climbed down that, but daddy had to help me," Jason said.

On her end, hearing how happy her baby was lessened the guilt she was feeling over having to spend the night in the hospital. She didn't get a word in for nearly ten minutes as Jason told her about his new room, and about the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. Then Jason was silent, and when he talked again he suddenly sounded very sad.

Just as he was about to tell her about playing pass with his daddy, Jason was told by his father that it was time to let mommy get some rest. "Daddy says I have to go now," Jason said suddenly feeling very afraid. During his full day of play with his dad, Jason had not considered that he would be sleeping in a bed he had never used, and that for the first time in his life, his mommy would not be there to kiss him goodnight. Even when his other daddy had been with them, and Mommy came home after he went to bed, Jason had always known she had come to check on him, but tonight he realized that she would not.

"Jason, I love you, and I want you to have sweet dreams," Lois said realizing that her little boy was fretting over her not being there. She heard him sniff and wanted to jump up out of the hospital bed and go over to Clark's and hold her baby in her arms, but her head was hurting, and she knew she needed to take it easy. "I will see you in the morning," Lois tried and heard another sniff, and then she heard Clark's voice. "Give him lots of kiss for me," she said.

While he hugged Jason, Clark agreed to give him lots of kiss, and hugs, and then told Lois not to worry about them, and to get some rest. When he switched off the phone, Clark stood up with Jason in his arms, and he could feel hot tears on his neck as Jason pressed his face against him. "Did you know that the bed in your room used to be my bed when I was a little boy?" Clark asked as he carried Jason through the living room to the hall leading to the bedrooms. He felt Jason move his head back and forth once, and hugged him a little tighter.

In Jason's room Clark had left the lights on to help the stars glow when they were turned out. The bed was against the far wall under the window, and with one hand, Clark pulled the quilt his mother had made for Jason, and the sheets down before he leaned over, and put him on the new mattress. Jason had a single tear going down his right cheek, and Clark took his thumb and wiped it away before he kissed him there. "I promised your mom to give you lots of kisses for her," he said as he placed another kiss on the other cheek. When he drew away he found Jason looking at him.

For some reason, one Jason could not figure out, he suddenly didn't feel so bad about being here. His new room was a little bigger than the one at the house he lived in with his mommy, and he felt safe here, even though he had never spent the night with his daddy before. "Daddy, why didn't Superman help mommy today?" Jason now knew that his mommy had wrecked her car, and that was the reason she was in the hospital.

As soon as Jason asked that question, Clark felt a pang of guilt but pushed it aside, knowing that his son needed an answer. "I'm not sure pal. Even though Superman can help people and does his best to do that, he can't always know when someone is in danger, even your mommy." Clark watched as Jason yawned, and reached out putting his hand on Jason's head. "Now you need to get some rest, and if you need me my room is right across the hall," he said. He leaned forward and placed kiss on Jason's forehead. "Goodnight," he said as he stood up. Clark crossed the room and turned the lights out watching as Jason gazed at the glow in the dark stars. One day when Jason was old enough to understand, Clark would tell him about Krypton, and how the stars on the ceiling were patterned after the stars in the system where Krypton had once existed.

Once in his own room, Clark sat down on his bed removing his glasses. He was free to let his emotions go, and closed his hand into a tight fist as he thought about what had happened today. The woman he loved had been lucky not to have any more hurt than what she had ended up with. He knew that Lois needed time to get over what she had with Richard, but he also knew that they couldn't play around like this forever. He loved her, as he had once told the ghost figure of his mother at the Fortress of Solitude. As he settled back against the pillows on his bed, he again considered all of the wisdom he had been given by his father, and knew that Jar-El could never have foreseen how much he had come to love this world, and to some extent his existence as a human in the form of Clark Kent.

As Superman, he was expected to be perfect, and not only by those he served to help protect, but also by his own standards. Long ago, when he first began that part of his life, Clark had realized that his help and generosity to others was what gave people hope, and because of that Superman had to live by standards higher than any man walking the planet today. It was why he struggled with ever having anything more with Lois than a few stolen kisses, though now that Jason was here, that had changed things.

* * *

As his father lay in his room pondering his life, Jason looked up at the stars on his ceiling noticing the red star, which was slightly bigger than all of the rest. As he looked up at the stars, his heavy lids began to shut, and as he drifted off to sleep, Jason's dreams took him back to the Gertrude. _Seated on his mothers lap, Jason looked at the green crystal object the man called Lex Luther held in is hands, and even though he knew something like that was sort of pretty, something about it scared him, and he could also tell that it was scarring his mother too. Lex asked his mommy who his father was, and when she said it was Richard he asked her if she was sure. The images in his dream suddenly changed, and suddenly his body hurt all over, worse than he had ever been able to feel. _In his bed, Jason tossed and turned trying to push away the pain but it just got worse and worse, and he knew somehow that it was because of the green stone.

Something woke Clark from his sleep, and instantly he tuned his hearing to Jason and heard him thrashing about in his bed. Grabbing his glasses from the night stand on the right side of his double bed, Clark was at Jason's side in less than a second. He could see that Jason was dreaming and was in some sort of pain. As he knelt down next to the bed, Jason woke up and sat up, and Clark quickly held him close. "Shhh," he said as Jason began to cry.

"I was hurt daddy, why did the green rocks hurt me?" he said as Clark settled on the bed next to him. He remembered his entire dream, even about the piano, and that confused him so much. "I hurt the bad man with the Piano so he wouldn't hurt my mommy, why can I do those things?"

Jason now lay against his left side and Clark thought about telling him the truth. "I am not sure why that happened Jason," he finally said, hating to lie to his little boy. Jason clung to him, and Clark began to rub his back.

"Lex Luther asked mommy who my daddy was, was he talking about you, can you do things like that daddy?" Jason asked as he lifted his head from Clark's chest too look at him. He watched his daddy, waiting for an answer, needing to know what was happening to him.

"I think that Lex did that to worry your mommy, he doesn't like her because she helped Superman put him in prison before you were born," said Clark wondering if this would be the night Jason found out the truth.

Again Jason thought that over, and knew that Lex Luther lied about things, which he himself was not allowed to do. Jason started to get sleepy, and rested his cheek against his dad's chest listening to the steady beat of his heart. He wanted to ask more questions but he suddenly felt very sleep, and even though he didn't want to go back to sleep his lids shut over his eyes.

Clark lay in bed next to his son holding him in his arms, until he was sure that Jason was asleep. When he was sure, Clark placed Jason against the pillow, and then got out of his bed pulling the covers back over his body. He thought that when Jason was older he could know the truth about Superman, but after what he had just witnessed, he knew he and Lois would have to figure out when the best time would be to tell him of his true heritage.

* * *

The next morning, shortly after breakfast, Clark arrived in her hospital room to help her get ready for home. Lois's whole body hurt, and for once she didn't mind letting Clark help her. As she sat in one of the chairs, she directed him on what she wanted to take home, and as he finished packing her bags, her doctor came into the room and gave her one more look over.

"I've called in a prescription for some higher strength aspirin should you need that," Dr. Karen Sullivan said satisfied with Lois's condition.

Once she had gone, Lois let Clark help her out of the chair, and held his hand as they walked out of the hospital room. "Did you tell Perry about the accident?" Lois asked as they waited for the elevator to take them down to the first level.

It always amazed Clark that Lois could be so obviously hurt and still think about other things, instead of her own needs. "Yes, he wants you to take as much time off as you need," he replied as they entered the elevator.

On the ride home Lois fell asleep in the passenger seat of his truck, and when he got to the house, Clark went around to her side, and managed to get her out without waking her. Holding Lois cradled in his arms, Clark got the door to her house opened, and then once he was inside shut it with his foot before he went upstairs and laid her in her bed. Lois still had a gauze patch over her forehead, and though she had not told him the extent of her injuries, he knew from his own look of her, that she had one cracked rib, as well as being bruised pretty much all over her front and sides from the seatbelt.

Once Lois was settled in, Clark got her luggage in the house, and then settled downstairs on her sofa thinking about what had happened last night with Jason. He woke up one other time crying about the green rocks, and Clark realized it was Kryptonite. Whenever Lois woke up he needed to know if Jason had the same reaction to it as he did, and if so, he wasn't sure what they would do.

* * *

Much later, Lois woke up in her own bed, and for a moment she let the sounds of the birds chirping outside lull her, and then she realized that Clark must have brought her up to her bed and sat up, gasping as she felt the pain from her cracked rib and bruised body. As she began to recover from the pain, she heard a knock at her door a moment before he entered her room.

"How do you feel?" Clark asked as he carried a tray full of good food to eat, and as well her pain medication.

Lois considered telling him to go away, but then she looked at his eyes, and found that even if she did that, he would not listen, and after that kiss in the hospital she realized that he was likely not going to let her push away the inevitable any more. As he put the tray down, Lois helped him put her pillows behind her, and when she leaned back he put the tray on her lap.

"Lois, I know you must be tired, but we need to talk about Jason. Has he ever been exposed to Kryptonite?"

His words startled her, and when she looked at him as he sat down on the edge of her bed, Lois noticed the worried look in his eyes. "On the ship, Lex had a cylinder made out of Kryptonite. When Jason saw it I felt his body tense, but I don't think it hurt him, I think it just scared him, why?" she asked now worried about her little boy.

Clark guessed that even though Jason didn't know a thing about Kryptonite, somehow by instinct, his little boy knew that the stuff was dangerous. "He had a few dreams about green rocks and how they made him hurt," he finally said.

Lois had never known her son to have any sort of bad dreams and asked, "What did you tell him?"

"He wanted to know why the rocks hurt him and why he can throw a piano across a room. I didn't tell him anything about Superman but I don't think we can ignore his need to know. Yes I realize he is only five years old but I am not comfortable keeping this from him," he said anticipating what she might say.

Suddenly Lois was angry and pushed her tray away. "So you want to tell him all about how you are Superman, and its okay because he is your son but you wouldn't tell me about it, and when I finally did figure it out you made me forget."

He realized she had a point and tried to tell her he was sorry but she wouldn't have any of that.

"You have said your sorry enough. The other day when you came to the hospital you kissed me. Did you do it because you loved me, or because you wanted me to be quiet?" she asked coldly.

Clark knew he had to be honest with her. "I kissed you because I'm tired of walking on egg shells. I love you Lois, and at one time you felt the same way. I know I left and I can't change that, but I won't let you push me away anymore."

Just as quickly as her anger had flared up, it went away at his words, and Lois shut her eyes. "I love you too, but I don't know if I can cope with you being gone saving the world, while I wait and worry about what might happen to you. I worry about Jason, and how he will react if we let this happen." She looked at him and could see the love and compassion in his eyes; it was what had drawn her to him all those years before.

Reaching out with his left hand, Clark placed it against her right cheek. "I don't know what will happen to us, and I am afraid for you and Jason, not because of me, but because of my enemies, if anyone found out about us, that would put both of you in more danger than I want to see you in," he finally said.

Lois reached up and put her hand over his. "We might just have to find a place outside the city far enough away from neighbors so that when you do have to go and help other people, the neighbors wont see you leaving, and as for Jason and I, we will figure that out as we go," she said, hardly believing that this was happening. Clark's hand left her cheek and moved behind her head, and as he drew her toward him, Lois felt her heart leaping around in her chest. His kiss was gentle at first, but then he deepened it, and she reached out and pulled him closer as she leaned back against her pillows. Her whole body was alive with sensation as his hands traveled down her back and as they continued to kiss. When he pulled away she opened her eyes and saw desire in his eyes, and then a look of guilt. "Don't you dare do that," she said softly. "I may be all bruised up, but I don't regret what we just shared and I expect you not to regret it either." Lois felt very tired, and cursed herself for her careless driving. She watched as Clark took the tray away, and sighed as he kissed her again.

Clark had never known someone like he had Lois, and as he left her room to let her sleep he began to allow himself to dream. He knew that they had a long road ahead of them, and that even though they both admitted their love for one another, that they would both still have their doubts from time to time. As he entered the kitchen and began to clean off her lunch dishes, he focused on the task at hand, hoping that one day he could have the normal life he had dreamed of for so long.

* * *

**AN.** I just wanted to thank all of you for reviewing thus far. This chapter got replaced to correct a few things, and thanks goes out for my mistake on the spelling of Jor-El...anyway thanks for reading and hang on, cause Right now this thing is takinga mind of its own...


	7. Chapter 7

**AN.** I did some digging on the internet and found out that Lois's father was a general. I have never read the comics but I wanted to use her parents and I realized in the comic verse Sam Lane died, but the movies always differ from the comics, so I hope you as my reader will give me this liberty and like what was written. As always review and as always thank you for taking the time to read my story.

**Chapter 7: Family**

Seated at her desk, in one of the busiest departments of The Daily Planet, Lois had a pen in her hand and was jotting down notes on a resent string of robberies that had hit some of Metropolises finest Jewelry stores. "So no evidence of fingerprints on the doors, or anything out of the ordinary, what about the security cameras?"

While Lois was interviewing one of the shop owners, not far from her desk, at his own, Clark was trying to look busy. He had learned long ago to try and pace himself, if not to draw suspicion as to why he could get his work done 100 times faster than the rest of the office, but with the robberies and cries for help of late, he had ignored his self imposed rule. As he leaned back in his chair and put his hands on the back of his head, he heard the Chief call out his name. Without hesitation, Clark stood up from his seat and went to Perry's office.

As soon as Clark entered his office, Perry told him to sit down. "Now, Lois is getting an interview with one of the jewelry store owners by phone. I want you to go down to Lamberts, he just got to his store and found it broken into, see if you can help Lois track down whose doing this," he said, confident in Clark's abilities to do such a thing. "And while you're at it take Jimmy with you."

Knowing not to wait around after the Chief had given an order, Clark stood up and as he turned around he stumbled a bit before heading out the door. He saw Lois still on the phone and then looked around the large people cluttered office until he spotted Jimmy at his computer. Clark managed to knock into only one person before he arrived at the young Photographers desk. "Jimmy?" he asked drawing the young man's attention.

"Oh hey Mr. Kent," Jimmy said always glad to see his friend.

"The Chief would like for us to go down to Lamberts, his store got broken into and he wants us to check things out," Clark said, aware that Lois had just come up behind them.

A little put off that the Chief had not asked her to cover this first, Lois bit her tongue for a moment before she told both of them to wait while she got her purse. She was not going to miss out on the action, or this story.

* * *

Lamberts Jewelry store was located in on of Metropolis's ritzier neighborhoods, and as Lois and Clark both took notes on what Mr. Lambert was saying, Jimmy was doing his own investigation with his Camera. Nothing seemed out of place. There were no broken windows, no broken display cases; it was simply that most of the valuable peaces of jewelry were gone. Jimmy used his telephoto lens to zoom in on each display case, and snapped a few shots, but couldn't tell if anything was amiss.

As Lois asked most of the questions, Clark managed a few glances at the display cases, and the doors using his enhanced vision abilities to scan for fingerprints, but as the other stores had all reported, there were none to be found.

"Thank you for letting us come by, and we will do our best to figure this out," Lois said as she turned to face her partner. She watched as he looked over at a display case and wondered if he was using his Super abilities to try and find anything, but then he looked back at her and shook his head. "Jimmy, come on," she called out as she led the way out of the store.

* * *

By lunch, both Lois and Clark had finished their joint article on the robberies, and after only a bit of hesitation on his part, Clark walked over to Lois's desk as she hung up the phone looking a bit distressed. "Um Lois, I thought maybe you and I could go out…"

Lois knew what Clark wanted, but didn't have time to do anything. "I can't go Clark, my father just called, and is flying in tonight, so I need to go to the house and get things ready for him, do you mind getting Jason after school?" she asked as she began to gather her things gathered up. She loved her father, but she also knew that he would grill her on why she had broken up with Richard, and that part she was not looking forward too.

"Oh sure," he said a bit disappointed that they had not seen much of each other in the past week other than at work. He went back to his desk, and watched as she left, wondering what kind of person could get Lois so frantic.

* * *

By the time Clark arrived at the school, he had talked to his own mom who had asked him again when she would get to meet her grandson, and Clark finally gave in and told her if she and Ben wanted to fly down that he would see about letting them meet Jason. Now as he pulled up to the carpool line, one of the teachers approached his truck, and when he rolled down the window on the passenger side, she asked if he would mind finding a place to park so that they could talk.

Clark did as he was told, realizing that Jason was not with the other children in the lines waiting for parents to pick them up, and as he did a quick scan of the building he found his son in one of the classrooms coloring a picture. As he followed Mrs. Mason into the school, Clark idly wondered what Jason had done to warrant this conference, and wondered even more if he should phone Lois and get her over here. They went into a class across the hall from where Jason was waiting, and Clark took a seat in front of Mrs. Mason's desk.

"I asked you in here because Jason has been telling tall tales to his friends, and has been distracted, more so than usual," she began watching the man across from her. She had been aware of the resent change in Jason's life, and had a guess that most of his tale telling had to do with that.

Clark knew Jason was creative and smart and wondered what he could be doing that was distracting him. "What kinds of things has he been saying?"

"Most recently he has been telling his friends that his mother and Superman are the best of friends, and that Superman rescued he and his family from a sinking ship. He has also been drawing pictures of Superman, when he should be participating in other activities."

None of what the teacher had just said was tall tale telling, Superman had rescued Jason and his family from the Gertrude, and Superman and Lois were very close friends, but he knew that it was dangerous for Jason to be saying such things. "I will have a talk with him, and see if maybe I can get to the bottom of this." He watched the older woman smile, and then followed her across the hall where Jason was still drawing.

"Jason, your father is here to pick you up," said Mrs. Mason.

Clark watched as Jason turned slowly in his seat, and then at once his little boy was running to him. Clark caught him up in his arms and gave him a big hug, and heard a sniff. "Come on," he said as he got Jason to get his things.

Once they were on their way, Clark thought about how to broach the subject of Superman. "Jason, Mrs. Mason told me about what you have been talking about with your friends, and I know it is the truth, but you have to be careful about those kinds of stories," he began.

Jason had been looking out the window on his side of the truck, but when his daddy said that, the little boy turned to face him. "Why?" he asked still feeling sad. He didn't like Mrs. Mason, because she was always so mean.

"Well, most people see Superman as their hero, and they don't like to think of him being a normal person like you or me," he tried. He glanced over at his little boy and could see that Jason was trying to comprehend that bit of information.

"But he is a person daddy, and he can have friends too, that's not very fair," Jason pointed out.

Sometimes it amazed Clark at how perceptive Jason was, and his words just now made him realize that Jason was more aware of things than either he or Lois gave him credit for. "I know it's not buddy, but try and hold off talking about him at school okay?"

Jason sighed but agreed not to talk about him, and then asked where his mommy was.

"Well, she got a call from your grandpa," Clark said and saw Jason's eyes grow big.

"The General would get mad at you for calling him grandpa," Jason said of his grandpa.

Suddenly Clark was very interested in meeting him, and as he and Jason got out of the truck at Lois's house, she was waiting for them at the back door looking worried. Clark watched as his son gave Lois a hug and kiss, and then ran into the house, leaving them time to talk. "Lois, maybe I could meet your father," he said but she was already shaking her head.

"No, that really wouldn't be a good idea. I know why he is coming over and I need time to deal with him in my own way. I was wondering if you could take Jason home with you over the weekend, my father and I need time alone," she said.

As much as he wanted to do that, Clark thought about Superman and how three days away would end up as a bigger news story than he would want. "I don't know, I mean, I know I should help but Superman," he said hoping she would understand.

Being so frazzled about her father, Lois wasn't in the mood to understand him. "No. Look the world can survive the weekend without you, him," she said as her hands shook.

Clark hated seeing her this way, and reached out taking her hands in his own. "I'll take him," he said and before she could say another word he kissed her gently on the lips, liking the fact that he could take her by surprise, and then went inside to get Jason ready for a weekend at his own house.

* * *

As Lois had guessed her father, and her mother were not happy about her resent activity with Richard and now as she sat next to her mother on the sofa in the living room, she watched as her father paced the floor in front of them. "Daddy sit down," she said, not as much afraid of him, but more so the argument that was brewing under the surface.

Sam looked at his daughter, and then took a seat across from her. "I don't suppose either one of you thought about what this would do to my grandson,"

Tired of always feeling intimidated by him, Lois stood up. "Look daddy, I'm a big girl now, and yes we thought about Jason, but Clark is his father, and I do love him," Lois said, and she really did.

Sam looked at his daughter and his wife a moment before he got up from his chair and left the room to get some fresh air.

Ella saw the pain in her daughter's eyes and tried to comfort her. "Lois he only wants what is best for you," she tried.

"I know he does, but I know what I need mom, and Clark is a good man."

"Good enough that he took off for five years without even a word to you, so that you could tell him you were going to have his son?" she asked.

Lois shut her eyes. "He regrets it, and I didn't know I was going to have Jason when he left, now let's drop it okay?" Lois stood up and walked into the kitchen, wanting to run away.

* * *

On the other side of town, Clark had been preparing something for dinner for he and Jason when his super hearing picked up Jason's sudden cries. He had to control his speed as he walked outside going over to the swing where Jason was sitting. "What happened?" Clark asked as he knelt down and hugged his little boy.

"I pinched it," Jason said showing him the broken skin on his pointer finger from where the swing had pinched him when he tried to adjust it.

Clark could tell Jason was tired, and lifted him into his arms cradling him against his chest as he carried him into the house. He walked through the kitchen, and into the living room, and then to the left down the hallway to the bathroom. Once he was there, he reached out and turned the warm water on in the sink before putting Jason down there.

Seated on the edge of the sink, Jason sniffed as his daddy tended to his small wound. "I miss daddy sometimes," Jason said as Clark put a band-aid on his finger.

Clark knew instantly who Jason was talking about, and had also been wondering what was happening with Lois and Richard, and wondered if she had told him about her accident, and the events following that. "I'm sure he misses you too, when was the last time you talked to him?" asked Clark as he lifted Jason off of the countertop at the edge of the sink, and carried him back out into the living room, which was also considered the TV room. He sat down in his favorite recliner, letting Jason sit forward facing on his lap.

"I talked to him before mommy got hurt in the car, but it made me really sad, because I really do miss him," Jason said as he leaned back resting the back of his head against Clark's chest. He watched as to the right his daddy reached out and grabbed the remote to the Television. The news was on, but the channel was changed until Jason had him stop at the Animal Planet special about Wild Cats, and for a while all thoughts of Richard went away.

As they watched the show, Clark thought about their lives since his return, and wondered if it was ever going to work out for he and Lois to be together to raise Jason, or if it would be like it was now. His phone began to ring, and he reached to the left and picked it up off of the base, finding his mom on the other end. He listened as she talked about wanting him to bring Lois and Jason for Thanksgiving, and then he told her that he would have to check. "She is at home with her parents right now, but I'm sure I can try and ask her tomorrow," he said as Jason reached for the remote wanting to change the channel.

Martha had been waiting patiently to meet her grandson, but each day that went by was one more day that she really wished she could see the little boy. "I know you and Lois have to work things out, but I was also hoping that I could see Jason," she finally said.

"You could always come here," Clark said, and then added, "I have an extra room for you too, and it might be easier to try Thanksgiving here."

On her end, Martha considered what her son was asking, and thought of Ben. "Do you have space in that room for two?" she asked, guessing that Clark had forgotten about him. She heard her son take a breath and then let it out.

"Yeah it has a double bed," he said still thinking that it was very strange to see his mom married to another man. She told him that she would call him back when time got closer, and after he hung up with her, Clark focused on the TV seeing Superman investigating one of the Jewelry store robberies from earlier in the day. "Hey I need to go check on dinner," Clark said. He had made pot roast, something his mom had made a lot when he was a kid, and after standing up and putting Jason down in his chair he headed in to do that.

* * *

After she talked to Jason, and after her parents had gone on to their hotel, Lois sat in her bed thinking about Richard. Everything was happening so fast, and after her father had cooled off some he sat down and they had a normal adult talk about everyday things, but she couldn't get past what he had said about Clark, and about something she thought she had gotten over, which was his ability to keep things from her. Lois knew why Superman had done that, and even he had said he should have asked her, but she felt like they were rushing things. They had already shared a few kisses, and as she thought about that, Lois managed a smile, but her thoughts were on Richard and how he was doing with all of this. After living with someone for five years, it was hard to just completely move on without them. Lois jumped as the phone rang and when she picked it up she found Richard on the other end.

Seated in his hotel room; Richard had still not found an apartment to live in, he listened as Lois told him about the visit she had from her parents, and then when she was quiet for almost a minute he could tell something was on her mind. "I called because I was hoping maybe I could come back for Thanksgiving," he said.

With her parent's already in town, and likely her sister arriving to spend Thanksgiving here too, Lois doubted she would be able to handle too much more. "I don't know," she finally said as she took in a breath and let it out. "I'm trying to work things out with Clark, my parents came down and daddy tried to lecture me on our breakup. Lucy's likely coming in at some point with one of her boyfriends," She broke off and shut her eyes.

Hearing that she and Clark were trying to work things out hurt, yet Richard had known that leaving her would not be easy, and he knew he needed to try and support her. "Maybe you should talk to Clark," he said not trying to be offensive, and trying to draw a line to what they should talk about.

Lois heard the discomfort in Richard's voice and only felt worse for that. "I guess I should go on and get off of here." They said their goodbyes, after she told him that Jason was with Clark, and after hanging up the phone, which was on her nightstand, Lois stood up and undressed, and then walked to the left side of her bed to the dresser where she pulled out an extra large shirt and put that on. After she settled into bed, she shut her eyes and tried not to think about how good a cigarette would be, but she kept thinking about the day's events and after a while she got back out of bed and walked over to the window. Looking out at the night sky, Lois knew that Superman would not be out there, and found a way to feel guilty for that as well. She had practically pushed Jason on him today, and she knew that they had not talked about what would happen if he was needed while he was with Jason. It was times such as these when Lois wished she was someone else. Leaning forward she put her head on the cool glass of the window, wanting nothing more than to take Jason and get out of Metropolis.

* * *

In Clark's small kitchen, standing on a chair pulled up to the counter, Jason was busy stirring the pancake batter while his daddy heated up an old cast-iron skillet. "How did you learn this daddy?" Jason asked observing him without him really knowing.

Clark walked over behind his son looking at the batter, and decided it was mixed up enough. Lois told him that Jason could have pancakes as long as it was a special brand, something he had bought at the health food store before going to get Jason from school. "Well my mom thought that it was important for me to learn how to take care of myself, so when I was about oh 8 or 9, she started teaching me," he said as he spooned out batter onto the skillet.

Jason had on his pajamas with feet, which he called his feety PJs, and on the dark blue fabric were printed Dinosaurs of various sorts. He watched his daddy make four pancakes and when they were ready he flipped them over. "Can we have bacon too?" Jason asked.

"I think so, let me go…" Before he could finish the doorbell rang, and before he could move, Jason was on his way to answer it. Clark was surprised when Jason called out "mommy," and when he walked into his front room, he saw how frazzled Lois looked. Clark helped her with her coat and then they all went back into the kitchen.

Lois sat down at the small round table and watched as Clark got bacon out of his refrigerator. She had never thought of him being the type to cook his own meals but then again she wasn't sure why that really surprised her. He had grown up a farmer's son, and as such she guessed his mother had made sure to teach him such things so that he could take care of himself and be some what independent.

"Mommy, is the General and Nanna still here?" Jason asked. He loved his grandparents even if he couldn't call the General Grandpa.

"Yes, they want to see you before they fly off to Mexico," she said trying to keep things cheery.

Being five years old, Jason didn't catch that his mommy really didn't want to talk about her parents, but Clark noticed that Lois was getting more and more flustered the more Jason talked about them, and after finishing putting bacon onto the skillet he told Jason it was time for play, and was amazed when his little boy left without a pout. Once Jason was gone, Clark got out orange Juice which was freshly squeezed and poured a glass. He put it in front of her and then went back to breakfast making.

"I'm sorry I pushed Jason on you yesterday," Lois said as she took a sip of the juice, and then realized that he had remembered how she liked it.

Using just a little super speed, Clark got the rest of breakfast made, and then walked over to the table. "You were right to do that Lois, and I have to figure out a way to balance out saving the world and being with my son," he said, not about to let her feel bad about doing that.

Lois shook her head feeling the need to cry, but she bit it back. "I don't know what to do," she said as he sat down in a chair close to her own. "I messed up, if I would have used my brains I would have known you wouldn't stay gone forever, and I know I have said that before, but I feel like I'm being pulled apart," she said swiping a tear that dared to make its way down her cheek. She hated this feeling of helplessness, hated it because she had always been in such control of her life until now.

Watching her struggle with this was very difficult for him, and Clark knew they could pass the blame around until the end of time, but he also knew that he had to find a way to help her through this if he could, and then he thought about his mom. "Lois, how would you feel about going to Montana for Thanksgiving?"

She looked from the table to Clark's face, and thought about Lucy and her parents, the rest of her family and her obligations to them. "I can't Clark, my parents want to spend Thanksgiving here because they are going to Spain for Christmas," she said.

Jason came back at that point wanting to eat, and kept conversation going as they had their first family meal together. He didn't notice that his mom wasn't talking much, because he was excited about seeing his grandparents. After they finished breakfast and helped Clark clean up, Lois got Jason dressed and promised he could come back after they went to see her parents.

* * *

The huge fire blazed across three buildings in downtown Houston Texas, and the fire fighters working to get the blaze out were all exhausted. They had already sent three men to the hospital, and there didn't seem to be any relief until Superman arrived. In just a few minutes he had all of the flames out and aided in getting the several people injured from the fire to the hospital. After he was sure everyone would be all right he flew off across the country to Florida and rescued a cat from a tree for a small girl.

Seated in front of the Television, Jason watched the news cast of Superman's resent rescues. He was fascinated by him and when a close up shot was shown of him, his blue eyes grew big. Quickly he got up from the TV and ran up to his room where on his bed side table among his old pictures, was a new one of he and his daddy that Jimmy had taken and given to him. He grabbed the picture and ran back downstairs, in the process taking a puff from his inhaler. His mom and the General were yelling at one another again, and without saying a word to anyone, Jason left the house to go see Rebecca who lived a few miles away.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **I know this is short but one of my friends come up with this idea for Jason and so I had to write it. The truth will come out eventually, so be patient, in the meant time read and review and let me know what you think.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Jason's Guess and the End Result**

In a small front yard, which faced a less traveled neighborhood street, a little girl with blond hair and brown eyes played in a plastic play house. Rebecca was serving tea to her dollies when she heard someone calling out to her, and when she looked out of one of the windows she saw Jason approaching. When she let him into her little house she was quick to shut the door because it was very cold outside, and even inside her playhouse it wasn't much better, but she loved playing there, even in the cold weather. "Jason, you don't have a coat on or anything," she said worried about her friend. She watched as he took a puff from his inhaler.

It took longer than he would have liked, but Jason finally did catch his breath. "Look," he said as he showed her the picture he had brought with him.

Rebecca took the frame in her small hands and saw Jason and Mr. Kent. "So, that's your other daddy," she said and saw Jason shaking his head. He was still wheezing and she made him sit down on a kid sized plastic chair.

Jason shut his eyes and drew in a breath of air, and let it out and did the same thing two more times until his lungs finally stopped burning. "He and Superman look just alike, only my daddy wears glasses and Superman does not." Jason waited for her to take that under consideration.

Rebecca tried to think of what Superman looked like, and then she saw what he meant. "Maybe they are related," she said just as her mother called out to her, wanting to know if Jason was there inside of her playhouse. Rebecca saw Jason shaking his head, and knew she would get a spanking for lying, but told her mom that she had not seen him.

What she said made lots of sense to him now, but now Jason had to figure out that relation. "Do you think maybe they are brothers?" he asked

"Maybe so, that means he is your uncle," she said, excited that they had figured it out without any help from an adult. Rebecca talked Jason into playing house with her, and he willingly did, but only if she agreed not to tell anyone else that he was doing that.

* * *

The argument with her father had ended with his leave, and Lois felt more defeated than she had in a while. She had watched as her mother went with him with, a look of helplessness in her eyes, and after they had gone, she realized Jason had likely heard the whole thing.

When she went to his room to check on him he wasn't there, and after a quick check inside the house as well as outside, Lois realized he was gone. She phoned the Davies first but was informed her son was not there. She tried two other friends of Jason's that he could get to by walking, and when she hung up with the last person she shut her eyes. After taking a few deep breaths she reached for the phone and dialed Clark's number but only got his machine, and had a guess that his other job was taking up his time. Putting the phone down, Lois walked over to the TV in her room, and turned it on finding live footage of Superman getting people out of a burning resort in Vegas. Once she had confirmed what she already knew, Lois turned the TV back off, and after getting her jacket, she grabbed the keys of her new car, and headed out to try and find her wayward son.

* * *

The fun part about Rebecca's house was that it had a huge wooded area in back, and despite being very cold, Jason had talked her into going to their favorite hide out. Nearly a mile into the thickly overgrown area, the two children got on their hands and knees and crawled through a thick set of brush into a hollowed out area, they had found. It was considerably warmer do to the surrounding foliage, and Jason didn't feel so much like a Popsicle anymore.

"Jason, if Superman is your uncle, maybe that is why he saved you from that ship," Rebecca said still interested in what her friend had said.

Remembering what his daddy told him about talking of Superman, Jason quickly changed the subject and the two children began to tell jokes to one another. They laughed so much, that Jason had to use his inhaler again, just to catch his breath.

* * *

After driving around for nearly a half hour, Lois arrived back at the house hoping to find Jason in his room, but his room and the house were just as empty as she had left it. Lois had talked with Mrs. Davies briefly but then her phone began ringing so Lois headed back to her car and drove around some more, calling out to him as she went.

When she got home she sat down in the Living room blaming herself for letting the argument with her father turn into a yelling match. As she tried to think about where Jason could be, Lois bit her fingernails, and as she was about to go try Clark again, she heard a familiar swoosh. Lois got up from the sofa and ran outside finding Superman near the edge of the water. "Jason's gone, my father and I had a fight and I can't find him," she said as her hands began to shake.

First Superman gathered Lois in his arms and held her until she calmed down, and then he used his super hearing. At first he heard everything, but then as he trained his ears to focus on Jason, he finally heard him wheezing and laughing. "I hear him," he said as they parted.

"I need to calm down, bring him back," she said gently and watched as he took off.

* * *

Rebecca watched as Jason caught a small lizard and made a face as he tried to show her. "Keep it away, that's disgusting," she said hardly believing that he would touch it. She watched as he put it back under the rock in their little fort, and when it was gone she tried to figure out what else they could do. "Maybe we can go further into the woods," she suggested as Jason took another puff out of his inhaler.

"I think I should go home now," he said wondering if the General was still there, or if he had gone already. As they crawled out of the brush and got to their feet, both of them heard Jason's dad calling for him.

Knowing that Superman couldn't always be the one to save Jason, he had changed back into Clark Kent when he landed just inside the woods. He heard the children talking, and had heard Jason talking about going home and called out to them. A moment later they were in site and when Clark saw that Jason only had on a thin long sleeved shirt, he picked up the pace and when he got to him he took of his jacket and put it around his son. "Jason tell Rebecca goodbye," he said trying to sound firm.

Hearing that tone in his dad's voice, Jason knew he was in trouble and waved goodbye as they got out of the woods. Rebecca's mother was waiting for her, and Jason knew she would be in more trouble than he would. Once they were on the side of the road walking back to the house, Jason stopped and got his puffer. He knew he wasn't allowed to use it so much but it was hard to breathe.

Clark looked at his son as he took a puff from his inhaler and without a word he knelt down. "Do you want me to carry you?" he asked and when Jason nodded his head, Clark gathered him in his arms and then stood up. "You know you really had your mom worried," he said as he walked at his normal pace.

"I didn't mean too, she and the General were yelling at one another and I needed to tell Rebecca about something," he said as he sniffed. He rested his left cheek against his dad's shoulder feeling much warmer than he had, and then he remembered about the picture. "Daddy I think I know a secret," he said as he lifted his head to look at Clark.

"What secret is that?" he asked, as a car passed by them.

Jason wondered if his daddy would get mad at him for telling, but he needed to know. "You and Superman are brothers," he said looking at his father's face. When they came to a stop, Jason looked over his dad's shoulder sure he was going to get in trouble now.

Not prepared for his son's words, Clark had to stop and try and think of something fast. At least Jason hadn't guessed about Superman in the right manor, but the fact that he had come up with this, had him already on the worry. "I think it might be a good idea if we talk about this with your mom around," he finally said as he began walking toward the house. The rest of the walk was silent, and by the time the house was within sight Jason had fallen asleep.

* * *

After putting Jason down in his bed, Clark took Lois by the hand and led her downstairs to the living room. He sat down and she followed, and when she was looking at him, Clark told her about Jason's revelation. "He believes that Superman and I are brothers," Clark said and when she started to laugh he managed a smile.

Lois hadn't meant to laugh at him, but after all she had gone through over the past few hours somehow that just struck her as very funny. "Now why couldn't I have come up with that," she said, and then laughed harder.

Seeing her happy, even though the topic of Jason's guess needed to be addressed, made Clark feel more at ease. Patiently he waited and eventually she did manage to pull it together. "So what do we do now," he asked, not certain of how to address this.

Lois too realized this needed to be addressed, and thought about the truth. "Do you think he needs to know the truth, it might help him if he starts showing more of your abilities," she said serious now.

Clark looked out the window at the choppy water, and then he looked back at Lois. "My fear is that he will tell the other children in his class, he has already told them about the Gertrude and how I saved you."

"If we tell him how important it is to keep it a secret he will. I know he is young Clark, but he has always been perceptive, much more than any other child in his class, and I don't think we should add anymore lies to the list," she said, and then she smiled. "Of Coarse Uncle Superman has a nice ring to it," she said and laughed as for the first time Clark grabbed her and began to tickle her.

As Clark Kent, he never would have thought of tickling her or teasing her, but while her memory was still coming back to her, Superman had never forgotten what they once had, even the silly moments like now.

In a quick moment, Lois found herself in his arms, and when he stopped tickling her she saw desire in his eyes. She was lying across his lap with her head cradled in the crook of his left arm, and when his head began to lower, she felt her heart race as it did every time they got like this.

Just as their lips were about to touch, both of them heard Jason gasp, a moment before he ran back up the stairs, and their moment of passion was gone with the blink of an eye.

Lois sat up, and then stood up, and stayed where she was as Clark stood up behind her and gathered her into his arms so that her back was pressed up against his chest. This touch was more for support than anything else, and for once she didn't feel guilty about what was happening. "I need to go talk to him, I guess we both need to," she said as he let her go. She turned to face him and suddenly she wished she was back in his arms. "Okay," she said trying to clear her head. She took his hand and together they went to talk to Jason.

* * *

The only person who had ever kissed his mommy was his daddy, and now Jason was lying on his bed hugging his pillow as tears made their way down his cheeks. He liked his new daddy, but didn't like what he had seen, and as he heard the door open he swiped the tears away, but remained turned away from his mommy and daddy.

"Jason," Lois said as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She leaned over him hugging him and heard a watery sniff. "Jason, I'm sorry I upset you," she said as she kissed the only cheek exposed to her.

"You, you aren't supposed to kiss him," Jason said, staying where he was.

How to explain things to Jason and make him understand was not going to be easy, and there were times when Lois even felt confused, but she knew right now Jason needed some assurances. "I know that you miss your daddy, but he and I both talked about this, and his going away is what is best for all of us," Lois said, knowing that in her heart they had truly made the right choice.

As Lois tried to talk to Jason, Clark silently walked out of the room and listened. He felt like an intruder, and there were still times when he wondered if this was what was best for their son. Jason had been raised by Richard, and he had been the only father his son knew. Now Jason's and Lois's life were in a jumble and he knew he was the cause of it. It was times like these where he thought a memory wipe would be the best thing, but at the same time he had promised himself and even Lois that he would never do that again.

Lois tried to make Jason feel better, but in the end he ended up falling asleep, before she or Clark could tell him the rest of the truth. When she left his room she found Clark standing against the wall with his eyes shut. "I think maybe we should call it a day," she said wishing that her life made some sort of sense.

"I agree," he finally said as he opened his eyes to gaze upon her. He could see how this was upsetting her, and before he could react she put her arms around him resting her right cheek against his chest. Clark returned the embrace holding her closer to him, with his left hand gently pushing against her head, and his right arm hugging around her middle. "We'll figure this out," he finally said. He heard her sigh. "I think I might stop by tonight after you put him in bed and try telling him the truth," he said. They stayed in that position for long moments before they finally parted and Lois walked him to the door. She watched, or tried as he changed into his suit, and then in the blink of an eye he was gone.

* * *

A slight breeze against his left cheek woke Jason from his sleep, and when he opened his eyes he saw Superman kneeling by his bed. "Superman, are you and my daddy brothers?" asked Jason in all sincerity.

Superman reached out and placed his left hand against Jason's head. "No, but I came here tonight to talk about that," he said. He sat down on the edge of Jason's bed and in a quick moment his son was in his arms. "Jason, what I am going to tell you has to stay between you and I, and your mom," he said. When he felt Jason nod his head he began. "I look like Clark Kent because I am him," he said waiting to let Jason absorb this new bit of information.

Suddenly it made sense, and even though he had been hurt to see his mom kiss his other daddy, for some reason now it didn't hurt so much. "Why didn't you say that before?" he asked still resting his right cheek against Superman's chest.

"I wasn't sure if you were ready to keep that secret, it is a very big responsibility and very, very important."

"Can I talk to Rebecca, because she thought that you and daddy were brothers, and she will keep it a secret too," he said not realizing that this was something that he could only share with the man whose arms were around him, and his mom.

"No Jason, no one else can know, only the three of us," he said referring to Lois as well. Richard also knew but for now he was trying to keep it simple.

Jason thought about the Piano, and lifted his head to look up as his daddy. "Am I like you, because I hurt the bad man with the Piano," he said sadly. That had truly frightened him, and it still did.

"I think you are like me, but only when you are afraid." Superman tried to explain that and it appeared that Jason got a rough idea of what he was saying, but in the end he wasn't sure.

"Now, you have had a very long day, and I think it is time for you to go to sleep," he said as he stood up cradling Jason close to his chest a moment before he laid him back down in his bed. Superman pulled the covers over his small body and then knelt down.

"Daddy, if you want to you can kiss my mommy," Jason said as he yawned Jason reached out as his daddy hugged him and held on tight. "Do you have a mommy and a daddy?" the sleepy little boy asked.

As he pulled away from his son, Superman put his hand on Jason's chest, and as Jason had done a few times before, though now being awake, he hugged his hand, and waited to hear the answer to his question.

"A very long time ago before you were born, and before I even knew about earth, I lived on a different world called Krypton." Superman told Jason about his birth parents, and about their plight to try and convince the Council that Krypton was dying, and how no one would listen to them.

"Why didn't they listen?" Jason asked as he blinked his eyes. He was so very tired, but he wanted to know why.

"They loved their life, and they didn't think that after living in peace for so long, that anything could ever happen, but my parents knew differently, and even though they told the council that they would not leave Krypton, my father began to grow the crystals that were needed to make a ship for me." Jason's eyes had closed, and Superman waited but when he stopped Jason opened his eyes wanting to hear the rest.

"I was only a few weeks old when they put me in the ship and as I flew through space toward earth, the sun died, drawing in on itself before it exploded taking Krypton with it," This time Jason did not respond, and after gently pulling his hand away, Superman leaned in and kissed Jason's cheeks. He stood up and even as he heard a far away cry for help, he stayed where he was, and then he was gone, hoping that now life would be easier for his son and for the woman he loved.

* * *

"Is it ready?" asked Lex as he stood in his basement lab. He had gone through five of the top minds in Science and would go through a sixth if he had too. The Russian Scientist he had hired looked at him with a smile on his face and as Lex held out his hands a vile of bright green liquid was place in his hands. "You know the rest of my plan, Kitty has been able to obtain what was needed, and I want you to fill all of them with this," he said as he gave the vile back to the Scientist whose name was simply Karloff.

"It will be ready in a month, and it will do its job nicely." He said as he turned to get back to his lab work. He went to his microscope and looked through the lens seeing the effects of the green liquid on the sample which had been obtained through less than honest means. Once Karloff had been highly respected, but when his work was stolen from him he had lost all hope until they day a man came up to him on the street and offered him a huge sum of money to come and work for Lex Luther, and now once again he felt respected, and accomplished.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Richard's Return**

Thanksgiving Day arrived early at the house on Riverside Dr, first with the General and Ella's arrival just after breakfast, and then the inevitable task of trying to make dinner for several people. In the very food cluttered Kitchen, Lois poured over her cook books, wishing she could just call someone to come make the meal, but her mother, she knew, would not have it, and not far from where she was trying to find a recipe for cranberry delight, Ella was chopping up the vegetables she used to make her famous stuffing with.

Not far from the kitchen in the Living room, the General was seated on the sofa which faced out toward the waterway. He was engaging Jason in a game of chess, and was impressed that his young grandson could understand the game so well at his age. Jason had never played Chess before now, and had picked up on it very quickly. "Now I don't think that would be such a smart move," he said as his grandson finished moving his pawn close to one of his knights.

Jason, who still had on his pajamas, and whose hair was in a bad need of brushing, thought about what the General had just said, as he looked from the board to his grandfather's face. The General had on dark slacks, and a dark blue sweater. A thin layer of white hair which had once been the same color of Lois's covered most of his head, and his dark brown eyes gazed fondly at his grandson.

When Lois told him she was pregnant, and not married, the General as well as Ella had been very disapproving, but the first time Sam held his tiny grandson in his arms, he forgot about what he considered proper, even though he would never tell his daughter that, and took to the little guy immediately. Sam watched as Jason tried to figure out what he was going to do, unwilling to lend a hand. He had hopes that one day Jason would make something of himself serving his country, and knew that if his daughter wasn't going to push him to succeed, then he would have to do what he could when he was around.

Finally Lois found the recipe and was opening a can of cranberries when the doorbell began to ring. "Jason would you please go and get that," she asked, guessing Lucy and her latest boyfriend Nick had arrived.

Still seated on the floor in front of his grandfather's feet, Jason got up. "I want to keep it right there," he said referring to his pawn, and then he ran all the way to the door. When he opened it he expected to see his Aunt, or Jimmy, but who he saw now caught him totally off guard. "Daddy," Jason practically yelled as Richard knelt down to catch him in his arms. "I thought you were in London," Jason said keeping a tight hold around his neck.

Holding Jason in his arms had been the only thought on Richard White's mind when he arrived back in town to have Thanksgiving with his Uncle and Aunt. He had come to invite Lois and Jason over for dinner at their house, but could already tell that Lois had company, and plans. "I was, but your Uncle Perry was very insistent that I come here to celebrate the holiday with him."

"Come in daddy, we have to tell mommy that you are here," Jason said not realizing that his mommy was standing right behind him.

Lois had heard the commotion and had assumed it was Clark, now as she stood facing Richard, a thousand different thoughts began to filter their way through her mind, and as well all the guilt and hurt she had tried to push away.

Richard could see the pain in her eyes, and suddenly he felt like a stranger. "I should have called," he said as he stood up holding Jason in his arms, knowing that Jason would not let him go so soon.

Quickly Lois got a hold of her emotions, and managed a smile. "No, Jason is happy to see you, I um, why don't you come in, my parents would love to see you," she said feeling awkward and unsure of herself. The last person she had expected to see today, or really ever was Richard, and as she led the way, she suddenly had the urge to get in her car and go for a very long drive.

A half hour later, Richard sat on the sofa talking to the General about his work in London, and seated on his lap, Jason listened to the conversation without interrupting them. Jason had not moved since his arrival, and Richard tried very hard not to think of how hard it would be on him when he had to leave again.

After finding out what had been going on in Richard's life, and discussing politics with the bright young man the General had hoped his daughter would one day marry, he stood up. "Well I need to go outside and have a smoke, but you stay put, I want to hear more about this new law the English are trying to implement."

Once he was gone, Richard looked down at Jason, the little boy he had thought of as a son, and still did. "Now I want to hear all about what you have been up too," Richard said as he gave Jason a kiss on the top of his head.

There was so much Jason wanted to tell his daddy, but now he wasn't so sure. "Daddy, are you going to leave us again?" he asked as he slipped off of Richard's lap and turned around so that they could see one another.

Richard could see the hope in Jason's eyes, and didn't know how to tell him the truth. "Well I promised Uncle Perry that I would have Thanksgiving with them," he said, and then watched as Jason ran from the sofa where he was seated, to the kitchen where Lois and her mother were making dinner.

Jason had run so fast to the kitchen that he nearly collided with his mom, but managed to stop just before he did. "Mommy, can Uncle Perry and Aunt Alice come over here so that Daddy can have Thanksgiving with us?" the little boy asked hoping and almost expecting his mommy to tell him yes.

Getting back to the dinner preparations had helped Lois kind of forget about Richard being in their house, but now as Jason looked up at her, and as Lois put down the wooden spoon she had been using to stir the mix she was making for pumpkin pie, she could see the hopeful look in his eyes. Lois dusted her hands off and knelt down. "Honey, I'm sure that Uncle Perry and Aunt Alice have a house full of people coming tonight, so I don't think that will work out." She saw Jason's bottom lip droop and when she reached out to try and hug him, he pulled away and then ran from her. Lois stood up and watched as he ran past the sofa where Richard was sitting and then up the stairs.

Richard had seen Jason run by and stood up looking at Lois a moment before he headed upstairs to repair the damage his visit was already causing. When he got to Jason's room the door was locked, but Richard knew where the key was, and reached up he felt along the top of the door frame until he found it. With ease he got the door open and found Jason on the other side of his bed pushing his car around on the floor. "Hey little guy," Richard said as he walked around Jason's bed and sat down next to him.

"It isn't fair, you should be able to stay here with us daddy, why won't you stay here?" Jason asked still pushing his red race car around on the floor.

How should he answer this question, how could he find the right words not to cause this special little boy any more pain than he already was. "Jason, I didn't come here to make you sad," he began, and watched as Jason turned around to face him. The tears were already streaming down his face, and Richard realized that this would probably be the last time he would be able to see Jason, at least until he was old enough to understand why he had gone away.

"Sometimes when two people meet like your mommy and me, they think that their lives were meant to be spent together for always," he said as he reached out and lifted Jason up, gently settling in his arms so that he was cradled against his chest. "When I met your mommy she was already going to have you, and I knew that I might not get to stay with you always, like I had hoped. You see as much as your mommy loves me and I loved her, she had someone else who was her first love, do you understand?" he asked and felt Jason shake his head. Richard tried to find the right words to make Jason understand. "Before your mommy met me she loved your other daddy," Richard said, and felt Jason tense up in his arms a moment before he relaxed again.

"Do you know my daddy's secret?" he asked not sure why he was even asking.

Richard didn't know if Jason really knew, and asked him what it was, and when Jason told him he sort of felt relieved. "You can't tell anyone else okay," he said before he continued. Richard told Jason that his mommy had loved Superman long before he met her, and that when he came back she still had love for him. "I knew that she and I wouldn't be happy staying together, and that is why I moved back to London.

"But I'm not happy now," Jason said and buried his face into Richard's chest where he began to cry.

It amazed Richard that Jason would still consider him dad after knowing about Superman, because when he had been a kid, he always wished his own father could do amazing things, instead of always yelling at he and his mother. "Hey why don't we go for a plane ride," he said hoping Lois wouldn't mind. Jason stopped crying then, and after Richard helped him get dressed, they went down stairs and asked Lois if that would be okay, and then headed out to Perry's to get his plane.

* * *

While his mom prepared Thanksgiving dinner inside, Clark was sitting outside looking out over the lake. He had hoped he and Lois could have Thanksgiving together, but she insisted that he come here to be with his family, not wanting him to have to endure her father, something he was starting to feel compelled to do. Behind him he heard the door open, and a moment later his mom was sitting across from him.

"Clark, why don't you go spend time with Lois and Jason," Martha said. As much as she loved her son, she knew he missed them, and wanted him to be happy, just as any mother would want for her child.

Clark smiled at his mother. She had on a floral dress and over that a pink apron splotched with food of different sorts. He noticed that she looked happy, and had started to realize that he couldn't expect her to be alone for the rest of her life. "I wish I could, but her father is there, and she seems to have her hands full as it is," he said, and then he remembered something. He reached into the pocket in his brown jacket and pulled out a picture handing it to her.

Martha reached out and took the photo and smiled. The picture was of Jason, seated on Clark's lap at The Daily Planet with a huge smile on his face. Martha looked at Clark in that photo and could see how proud he was. "I so look forward to meeting him," she said as she started to hand the picture back.

"No, I brought that for you to have. Lois is taking Jason to have Holiday photos made, so I'll be sure to send or bring you those when they are ready." Talking about his son made him miss Jason, but he knew that he needed to give Lois and Jason time with her parents, and was glad to be here with his mom and even Ben who was on the other side of the lake doing what he loved best, fishing.

As she sat with her son, Martha asked him what he thought about coming down for Christmas, and was delighted when he said that might work out for them. "Well I better get back to the cooking, why don't you go fishing," she said hoping that this would be time for Clark and Ben to visit. Clark had never really been much for fishing, and as he stood up he heard something on the TV inside that got his attention. In a flash he was gone, flying high into the air and then west to help a plane that had lost one of its engines due to a flash of lightening.

* * *

Dinner ended up being more than Lois wanted. After Jason begged her, Lois let Richard stay, and the entire dinner her father kept encouraging him to try and get a job back at the Planet so that he could be closer to Jason. By the time the meal ended, Lucy and Nick decided to leave before the fireworks started, as did Jimmy. Now in the Kitchen, Lois was washing dishes, trying to ignore her mother's efforts to defend her father.

"Lois he means well, he just wants what is best for Jason," she said as she handed her daughter another dirty dish.

Finally Lois couldn't take anymore. She turned to her left and faced her mother. "How do you know what is best for Jason and for me?" she said raising her voice more than she had wanted.

Ella was shocked at her daughter's outburst but didn't turn away. "Well it is quite obvious that he is not happy with Richard being gone, and as for Clark, he was the one who chose to leave, and Jason should not have to pay for your reckless choices," she said also raising her voice.

In the Living room, Jason and Richard had been playing checkers, a game Jason liked much better than chess, when they both heard the argument heating up. Richard was about to suggest that he and Jason go outside, but again his little boy ran up stairs. Quickly he followed and when he got to Jason's room he found him packing his little suitcase which had his name embroidered on the front. "Hey, where are you headed?" he asked as he shut the door.

"I want to live with you daddy, I don't want to stay here anymore," Jason said as he swiped the tears from his face with his right hand.

Richard walked behind Jason and knelt down pulling him to sit on his lap. "I know how hard this is munchkin, but your mommy needs you here with her." Suddenly Jason pulled out of his arms.

"I don't want to live with her, she made you go away, and so did Superman," Jason said suddenly very angry. He ran for the door and pulled it open nearly taking it off of its hinges. Jason ran downstairs despite the yelling coming from the kitchen and ran right into the middle of the argument that his mom and his Grandparents were now having. "Stop it," he said. None of them seemed to notice him, so Jason moved past them to the counter where a stack of dishes sat ready to be dried. He pulled one from the top and dropped it down on the ground causing a loud crash, and suddenly all of the yelling stopped. Jason grabbed another dish and broke that one, shocking all four adults who were now standing close to him.

Lois starred in disbelief as Jason broke a third dish, and then a forth, and then she walked to him and as she knelt down he saw her, and ran from the room. "Jason," she called out as she stood up and went after him. He was already out the door by the time she got there, and was running down the street, not seeing Superman land changing into Clark, until he ran into him.

Jason ran into something, and tried to push past, but that something wouldn't move or budge, and then in an instant he was in the arms of the very person he was angry at. "Let go," he said struggling as Clark held him in a firm embrace. Jason struggled for a few seconds before his arms wrapped around Clark's neck and his cries came taking his breath out of him.

* * *

An hour later, Lois sat downstairs drinking a glass of tea Richard had fixed for her. Her parents had gone, and Clark was still upstairs with a very distraught Jason. Neither she nor Richard had spoken a word since Clark walked in with Jason in his arms, and both of them knew that this would be the last time they saw one another. A squeak on the steps drew their attention, and from the mantel, above the fireplace where Richard had been looking at a picture of taken of Jason, and Lois on a Ferris wheel, Richard turned around as Clark came down the stairs without Jason. Lois too turned on the couch to look at him. Her hands were still shaking and she could tell Clark was not happy.

It had taken him every bit of an hour to get Jason to calm down, and as his son finally fell asleep, Clark had come to a decision, one he knew he had to make for the sake of his child. He watched as both Richard and Lois turned around to face them and addressed their most immediate question, one they didn't have to speak. "He's asleep," he said. He saw the relief in both of their eyes. "Jason needs stability in his life, and I can't give him that. He had that and then I came back and took it away from him." He saw Lois shaking her head and watched as Richard walked past her to go outside and give him time to tell her what he knew he had to say.

Once Richard was gone, Clark walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Lois, Richard White is Jason's true father, I know I helped give him life, but that's all I did. Richard is the one who has been here for him, he is the one who has raised him with you, and how can I even think that I could try and take his place," he said as a single tear trailed its way down Lois's right cheek.

Lois managed to swallow the lump in her throat. "Clark, Jason knows about you now, he loves you too," she said trying to make him see reason, but already he was shaking his head.

"He will always be my son Lois, and I will always be here for him, but I think for now his knowledge of me being his father has to be wiped from his mind." He wouldn't do that until Lois agreed to it, and when she shook her head he waited to listen.

"I won't let you do that, I know this is hard for Jason, but you seem to be forgetting that he is **your** son, he has your powers especially when he's angry or upset, and he needs you there to guide him. You did that just now outside, and upstairs, how can you even think of taking that away from him now?" she asked as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

Without thought, Clark reached out and wiped away her tears. "How can I stand by and see him struggle with all of this?" he asked as he moved his hand away. There were no easy answers to be found, and then Clark heard Jason crying again and stood up. "I won't do anything now, but we need to figure this out now, tonight," he said and then he headed back upstairs to his son.

* * *

It was close to midnight when Richard left his old home, and it had been agreed by all three of them that the time to end things between he and Lois was now. He left feeling tired and defeated but somehow not angry. Clark had been ready to give up his rights as Jason's father, and it had given Richard the courage to realize that what Clark had said was all wrong. Even though he had raised Jason as his son, the true father Jason needed now was Superman, or Clark, and the only thing he regretted was how much hurt he had caused Jason today. Now as he sat in the Taxi which was to take him back to his Uncle's home, Richard wondered what he was going to do with his life. Even when he had gone back to London he had hoped that things between Lois and Superman would not pan out, but now reality had hit, and Richard decided as he arrived at his Uncle's house that he would head back to London in the morning.

Inside the house his Uncle was still up, but didn't ask Richard about his time with Lois. Perry seemed to know that things had not gone well, and had never been the one to give an opinion unless it was asked, or unless it had to do with the paper. In the room his Aunt Alice had prepared for him, Richard got ready for bed and settled into the four post Canopy bed looking up at the ceiling. Before he met Lois he was pushing to be an Editor like his Uncle Perry. He had never taken the time for a relationship, and he knew he could get back into work like he had before.

* * *

It was the touch of a small hand against her arm which woke Lois from her sleep and as she opened her eyes she saw her son standing next to her bed. "Hey munchkin, do you want to lie here with me?" When he nodded his head she moved over and when Jason was resting next to her she hugged him and kissed his cheeks.

"Daddy's going away again isn't he?" Jason said softly.

"Yes he is," Lois said honestly. Jason sniffed and she pulled him closer so that he was resting nestled up against her as she had done with him when he was a baby. "I'm sorry that I got angry with The General and Nanna," she said.

"I'm not mad anymore mommy," Jason said as his cheek rested against her left side. Jason still felt very sad, but he loved both of his daddy's even though he had been mad at Superman earlier.

All Lois could do was hold her son close and wonder how it was that Jason could have such an understanding of things, and not be angry at such a young age. She knew that part of it had to be due to his Kryptonian heritage, and wished there was a way he could know more about that, but guessed when he was old enough Superman would tell him what he needed to know.

"Mommy, is daddy mad at me, I mean my daddy Richard for not being mad at Superman?" Jason asked and felt a kiss on the top of his head.

"No." Lois suddenly realized something and gently lifted Jason so that he could see her. "Do you think that your daddy won't love you if you like Superman?" When he nodded his head Lois gently pulled him back into her arms. "Oh Jason, he loves you so much, and he wants you to be happy, I know how hard this is for you to understand, but he does want you to be happy," she said as she kissed the top of his head.

"He wants you to be happy too, and daddy has to be happy, do you think he will be without us?" Jason asked and again he felt more kisses place on the top of his head, not realizing that his mommy was doing her best not to cry.

Long after Jason had gone back to sleep in her arms, Lois wondered how Richard would do. She cared about him a great deal but after tonight she realized where her heart truly was, and wondered how she and Superman would find their way. As she drifted off to sleep, she was finally at peace, and hoped that soon Jason would be as well.

* * *

AN: I know I'm writing this bleak, but I don't think the way for them would be easy right off. As for Richard, not to worry I won't leave him without anyone to make him happy, so never fear as far as that goes. Eventually it will all work out but they still have a ways to go. Thanks for the Reviews to everyone who submitted them, and I promise too Lex will have a bigger part, but I'm not giving to much away, so be watching out for him.

Thanks again

Eviefan


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: After the Storm**

The sun was just beginning to rise over the great city of Metropolis, and across the bay from the city, Lois sat on the small patio in front of her house, facing the water as she watched the city come to life. Last night had been more than she could handle, and she was grateful that Clark had arrived to take care of their very distraught son. As she sat in one of the chairs watching the city, Lois took a cup off of the table to the right of where she was sitting and brought it too her lips. She drank in the coffee, letting it warm her up and help wake her up.

Last night Jason had slept with her, and a few times she had woken up to his thrashing about, and his cries. His little heart was broken, and she hated herself for letting that happen. Richard was gone now, a decision he had made once he realized what Superman had been about to do. Somehow he realized that Jason needed his father with him, and even though Richard had been there for him as a father, he was willing to give that up for the sake of their little boy.

Standing just a few feet away, Clark watched Lois as she took a drink from the tan mug she held in her hands. He had spent all night flying around the world helping people, because that had been easy for him. The one thing that hurt him the most was that he couldn't seem to help the two people he loved the most, Lois and his little boy. "Lois," he called out, managing not to startle her. He was wearing an old worn pair of jeans, and a flannel shirt which was unbuttoned over a white t-shirt, and on his feet he had on an old pair of old Canvas High-tops.

Not having the strength to get on her feet, Lois nodded as Clark walked over to where she was sitting. She noticed that he was dressed in a casual outfit, and had to admit to herself that she liked how he looked. "He's still asleep," she said as Clark sat down beside her.

"I was wondering how you were," he said, knowing by the pained look in her eyes that she wasn't well.

"Tired, angry, confused," she said as she set her coffee mug down before she finally mustered up the strength to face him. Lois didn't blame him anymore for his return, though she was still angry that he had wiped her memory of their time together.

Clark tried to find the right words to say, but there were none, and when she turned away from him to look out over the bay, he reached out and took her left hand in his. For a moment he was sure she was going to pull away, but instead she gripped his hand and for a while they sat there quietly looking at the place where it had all started for them.

It seemed like hours later, when both of them heard Jason's small voice call out to them from the door to their left. Again Clark was surprised when Lois kept her hand in his, and watched as their little boy walked over in front of her. For a moment Lois let go of his hand and then, once Jason was settled on her lap, she reached out and took his hand back.

* * *

Much later on that Sunday, Superman landed on the wooden pier just in front of his mother's house, and in the blink of an eye he was wearing the same attire he had worn when he visited Lois that morning. Without a pause, he walked through the grass to the cabin door hearing without the need for superpowers the jovial laughter inside. Hearing his mother laugh brought a smile to his grim face. Clark knocked on the door, and a moment later his mom was there hugging him. When they parted he could tell she was trying to read his current mood and then at once she was pulling him into the house. Clark greeted Ben before he left the house to go out to the store and get some supplies, and when he was gone he let his mom lead him to the sofa close to the fireplace, which had a warm fire to keep the cabin heated, along with the central heating and air unit.

"Now, I know you have something on your mind," Martha said as she sat across from her son on another couch. Clark visited her so seldom, and the past few times he had been here to visit her, Martha could tell he had been struggling.

"Richard stopped by the house last night, and on top of that Lois and her parents had an argument which upset Jason. I was on my way to look in on them when I picked up the sound of something breaking, and when I landed not far from the house, Jason was running blindly down the street." Clark stopped as he recalled trying to hold Jason as he struggled against him. He wasn't sure if his son had known how hard it had been even for Superman to hold him still. "When Jason is angry or upset his powers are present, that is why Lois and I agreed that he should know about me," he said watching as a look of concern passed over his mother's face. "He has a wisdom about him that defies his age mom, and I think it comforts him to know that all of this that has happened to him, well he knows he has me," he said as he sighed and leaned his head back.

Getting up from the sofa where she was seated, Martha walked over to her son and took a seat to his left, on the beige colored couch. "When you were just a little boy, when we first found you, you were already able to do things. That day when we found you in your ship, your father was fixing a flat tire on his truck when the jack slipped out from under it. The back end of the truck seemed to lift off the ground on its own, and then both of us looked, and there you were holding it up with this proud grin on your face."

"How did you keep my powers a secret?" he asked, needing to know so that he and Lois could help keep Jason protected.

"After that day you never really showed your abilities, although there were times, when like Jason, if you were afraid or angry, you could do some pretty amazing things. I think Jason needs to know that you will help him, and that it is very important that he keeps his anger in check," she said as Clark nodded his head. She thought of other times Clark's power's had manifested and then decided they had talked enough about that for today. "Ben and I have both agreed that you should bring Lois and Jason here to spend the Holidays."

The change of topic was a blessing, and Clark thought about that. "I don't know, getting her away from work, well it may be easier now, she's having a really hard time with all of this as well as Jason, let me head back home and I'll let you know."

* * *

December arrived, and with it the hustle of the holidays. Lois was back at work, and Jason back at school, and Clark tried to find time to talk to her about his mother's offer, but work took up both of their free time. It was the second week of December, just before lunch when Clark finally caught her, and managed to get her to go out to lunch with him.

The small café close to the planet served the best Club Sandwiches in Metropolis, and as Clark took a bite if his, he noticed that Lois hadn't even touched the Garden salad she had ordered. "Lois, I was kind of wondering what you and Jason were doing for Christmas this year," he said getting straight to the point.

For the past 10 days, Lois had been trying not to think about Christmas this year. Jason had also avoided the topic and hadn't even mentioned Santa, which was unlike him. "I haven't really thought anything about it," she admitted as she stabbed a peace of lettuce with her fork and brought it up to her mouth.

"Well, I was thinking maybe you and Jason could come to Montana with me to my Mom's house. She has been after me to invite you over so that she can meet you and Jason," Clark said watching as Lois thought that over.

Usually, going away from Metropolis didn't appeal to her, Lois liked her life here and her work, but now with the thought of having to face Christmas in the house she had spent five years in with Richard, Montana suddenly sounded really good. "If she is sure she wants the munchkin around, then I guess we could manage that, when do you want to go there?" Lois looked up at Clark and saw the joy in his eyes, and something in side of her began to warm.

"I don't know, when does Jason's school let out for the holiday, maybe we could go a few days after that." When Lois agreed, Clark couldn't help but smile, and noticed that she wasn't looking as sad as she had when they arrived at the Cafe.

* * *

Lois had just tucked Jason into his bed when they both felt a breeze blow through his open window, and then Superman was floating in. Lois had turned to the window to watch him come in, and then she turned back to her son, and kissed him goodnight. "I love you," she said as she walked toward the door.

Once Lois had gone, Superman walked over to his son's bed and knelt down. "How was school today?" he asked. By the time Jason's school had let out, Superman had flown to Italy to help workers there who were trying to fix up one of the oldest buildings in a small town not far from Florence. The work had been something he needed, and a pleasant change to going after criminals, or cleaning up after some sort of disaster.

"I don't like it there much," Jason admitted.

Hearing that concerned him a little, and when he asked Jason why, his little boy looked away from him. "Jason?"

"I don't like it there because I can't do all the things the other kids can. I still have to use my inhaler, and I shouldn't because I'm like you," he said as he again looked at his father.

Superman could see the hurt behind his little boys eyes, and when he reached his hand out Jason held onto him as he had several times in the past, pulling his hand to rest against his chest. "I don't know when or why you have so many things that hurt you like your asthma, but you may have to wait until you're older before they will go away," he said.

"When I'm big as you daddy, can I fly?" Jason asked with hope replacing the pain that had been in his eyes just moments before.

A smile spread across Superman's face, and even though he wasn't sure what Jason would inherit he couldn't deny him something to give him hope. "I think so, you stay here for a moment," he said as he stood up.

Jason turned onto his left side, resting his head on his soft pillow. A yawn escaped him and he rubbed his eyes. He was very sleepy, and his eyes were starting to close when his father walked back into his room and knelt down. Without a word, Jason found himself held cradled in his daddy's arms, and the little boy pressed his right cheek against the left side of his chest feeling safe. He shut his eyes for a moment feeling warm and safe, and then felt a cool breeze on his left cheek. When he opened his eyes, and looked straight up he could see the stars, and when he looked a little to his left and down he could see the entire city of Metropolis far below him. Jason didn't feel one bit of fear, because he knew that the arms holding him would keep him safe, and when he looked back up he saw a smile on his father's face.

Superman took Jason a little higher in the sky than he had with Lois, using his hearing to monitor Jason's heart beat, making sure that he could endure this altitude. He stopped his assent standing up in the air as if his feet had ground to touch even though they did not. "What do you think?" he asked as he pressed a gently kiss to Jason's soft head of hair.

"Everything is very small," Jason said, amazed out how tiny things were. Even when his Daddy Richard had taken him in the sea plane, he had never been up so high "Daddy, can we go into outer space?" Jason asked looking into his father's eyes as they gazed back down at him.

"Only when I'm sure that you can handle that. I don't think your body is quite ready for such a journey," he said as he began to float down toward the city. Superman flew toward the other end of the city high above the tall buildings so that no one would see him holding his son, and by the time he floated into Jason's room, the small boy was sound asleep in his arms, and Lois was waiting for them.

Lois stood by the door and watched how gentle Superman was with their son. This man could move mountains, stop earthquakes, endure bullets and missiles being shot at him, but he also had such a gentle touch, especially now as he laid their little boy down in his bed. She heard Jason call out a sleepy _no_, and observed Superman as he placed kisses on both of Jason's cheeks, telling him that he wouldn't be far away. That seemed to give Jason comfort, because he turned over on is right side, and was fast asleep.

For a few moments, Superman stood watching Jason sleep, realizing that he would never grow tired of seeing him. He was also aware of Lois behind him, and as he turned around he saw a smile on her face. "Thank you for letting me share that with him," he said as he closed the distance between them.

Lois looked up at him, seeing the man she was beginning to fall in love with all over again. Once, not so long ago, Richard had asked if she loved Superman back when it all began, and Lois had lied to him. She had not done it out of spite, or to be mean, but to protect her heart, because it had hurt so much when he had gone away, and had not told her goodbye. Those thoughts haunted her even now, and when she looked away from him she felt his hand gently tilt her face back up so that they could see one another.

What she was thinking about to make her turn away from him, Superman knew it likely had to do with his time away. That night on the roof when he had come to her at the Planet, she asked him, _"How could you leave us?" _At the time he thought she had meant us, as in the world, but now he knew that she had been referring to Jason as well, and he regretted that. Holding the right side of her face gently cupped in his hand and without any doubt of what he was doing, Superman closed the small distance between them. He took her lips in a gentle but demanding kiss, inhaling the sweet scent of the perfume she was wearing, and tasting her as her lips parted under his own. Slowly he ended the kiss, drawing away as he kept his hand where it had remained. Her eyes were closed, but she was now fully aware of everything he had taken from her.

In a blinding flash she remembered everything, even the parts he had left out the first time he had kissed her to let her remember. Lois felt her heart race as the images ran through her mind, and with them, she felt the ache of loss during those times when she knew he would be away. When she opened her eyes he was watching her and she didn't know what to say. "I guess I know why you didn't want me to remember everything," she said, feeling suddenly cold.

"Now that you know, what do you want us to do?" he asked softly very aware of his son sleeping not far from where they were standing. Jason was sound asleep, though Superman was keeping a listen for any signs that he might wake up.

"I want to go with you to Montana, beyond that I don't really know," she answered honestly. When he reached for her she went willingly into his arms. She knew how hard it would be for them to have a normal life, but Lois also knew that the greatest things worth having in life were those that you sometimes had to fight for, and now she would do just that.

Long moments after he had gone, and after they shared another kiss, Lois stood watching Jason sleep, he was so much like his father, and she had never regretted having him, even when she wasn't sure if Superman would ever have the chance to know that he had such a wonderful little boy for a son.

Back in her room, Lois knelt down by one of several book shelves against the far wall, and pulled out a photo album with tiny pink and blue flowers on the cover. She took it over to her bed and after propping her two pillows against the bed post she sat down on the firm soft mattress, drawing the burgundy comforter over the lower half of her body.

Lois opened the album and tears sprang to her eyes as she viewed the first photo taken of Jason two days after he was born. One of the nurses had snapped a shot of him in his incubator, and it was hard to see him among all of the wires attached to his tiny body. Lois pulled that photo out and put it on the bed, and then turned past the first few pages which were all of him in the hospital.

On the forth page was a picture of him in his infant seat, wearing a yellow sleeper that was way too big on him. Jason had still been on Oxygen then, and in his tiny nose were the oxygen prongs that had been a life saver for him. Lois also saw the box next to his infant seat which they had put on the coffee table in the Living room the day he came home, and remembered how for the first two months they would on occasion wake up to the loud alarm, telling them that he had stopped breathing. The alarm always did its job to alert Jason and get him to take a breath, but that had always frightened Lois.

For the next two hours, Lois spent time pulling the pictures of Jason's first few years out of the albums, and once she had all she wanted she reached over to her bedside table and opened the top drawer. She dug around with her right hand until she found a box of large envelopes and took one out. She put the photos, at least fifty of them, into the envelope, and tomorrow she would go to the craft store and get what she needed for Clarks present this year.

* * *

High above the world, Superman was again in a standing position with his eyes closed. He had filtered through all of the noises and was listening to the steady breath of his sleeping son, and also the steady breath of the woman he loved. He wasn't sure how he and Lois would make things work, but knew now that he could no longer remain a passive observer in her life. He wanted to be there for her and for their son, and what ever sacrifices he would have to make along the way he was willing to make.

A very long time ago his own father had said the words which he repeated to Jason the first night he had gone to see him after Lois told him the truth. _"You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." _Superman opened his eyes as he thought about those words, and would strive to raise Jason the way his own earth father had.

As that thought passed through his head, he heard an alarm and screams and for now he was needed by the people of the Planet earth. He spun around and flew faster than the speed of light toward a small town in Indiana, where someone's home had just been broken into, and Superman was ready to do the job he had been born to do.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: So This is Christmas**

On the very last day of school before Christmas, Jason was actually happy. His class had a party, and even though he knew he shouldn't, he snuck a few bites of the cake that Mrs. Rogers, Benjamin's mom, had brought for the party. His own mommy wasn't there, nor was his father, but Jason didn't mind, because this way he could have all the things they didn't want him to have. As a five year old, he knew that he had allergies, but he had never really known what that meant, because his mommy always took great care about what he could eat. Jason had to sneak because he knew his teacher's were on the watch, but he managed the cake and some candy before it was time to play games.

As the morning went on, and after a visit from Santa Clause Jason's tummy began to bother him. They were having two hours of constructive play, indoors due to the icy cold weather outside. Finding a good Dr. Seuss book to read, Jason sat down in the reading corner on a yellow bean bag chair, and opened it trying to ignore how much his belly was starting to hurt him.

"Hey Jason, do you want to come over and watch the magic show, Mr. Reynolds is going to show us tricks from his show," Rebecca said as Jason lowered the book. She noticed that he didn't look very good. "I should go get my mommy," she said as she ran from him.

* * *

While Lois was out on her last assignment before their planned trip to Montana, Clark was sitting at his desk looking at the pictures she had left for him of Jason. She had taken him sometime after thanksgiving, and after he visited his mother to get Holiday photo's made, and these pictures were fantastic. Jason was dressed in a white long sleeved turtle neck shirt and over that he wore a red vest type sweater. He had on a pair of black dress pants and black dress shoes. Seated in a wooden rocking chair that was his size, Jason was holding a real Dalmatian puppy on his lap and had the most wonderful smile on his face. In back of the rocking chair was a Christmas tree all decorated with ornaments of various sorts, and at the base lots of presents. Clark couldn't tell if the background was real or just some sort of backdrop.

As Clark gazed at the picture his phone began to ring, and without having to look he reached to his left picking it up, half expecting to find Lois on the other end. "Clark Kent," he said still looking at the picture of his son.

"Mr. Kent, my name is Patty Albright, I am the nurse at your son's school," she said.

Clark put the photo down and listened as Patty told him of Jason's sudden illness. She told him that he had gotten violently ill and that an ambulance was on the way. Clark told her that he would be there as soon as he could, and when he hung up the phone, he turned in his seat. "Jimmy," he called out and as Jimmy got up from his desk, Clark was already putting his heavy dress coat on. "Page Lois, tell her Jason is sick, and an ambulance is on its way to his school." After he told Jimmy, Clark raced out of the office and when he found no one in the first Elevator that arrived at the newsroom floor he stepped inside and as the doors shut he took his glasses off and looked up as his body lifted from the ground.

* * *

Along with losing most of what he had eaten at his party, Jason was in the throws of a severe asthma attack. Miss Patty had already helped him use his inhaler but it had done little to help him get his breath. Jason was resting on a cot in Miss Patty's office as she tried to help him calm down, and all he could thing about was how much he wanted his mommy. When the doors to the office opened and Jason saw the people who were from the hospital he tried to sit up so that he could run away, and then behind them he saw his daddy and his mommy.

Just as she was getting out of her interview, Superman arrived and told her about Jason and after seeing Jimmy, they flew of toward his school. It had been a very long time since Jason had been this sick, and as Clark moved to go to Jason, Lois stopped him. "It is easier to let them work first, and then we can go to him," she said knowing this from the past.

Clark held Lois's hand in his as the Paramedics went to work. One placed a clamp of some sort on Jason's finger, while another woman held him still as another Paramedic took out an oxygen mask and placed it over Jason's mouth and his nose. When they finished Jason's breathing was far less labored, and both parents were able to go to him as a stretcher was wheeled in to the small office.

Jason tried to talk but Lois shook her head. "You just worry about breathing right now, your daddy and I won't leave you," she said as she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

* * *

By the time Jason had been checked into the Pediatrics ward at Metropolis General, he was doing much better. His oxygen level was still low enough that the attending physician wanted him to stay over night, but other than that he was almost himself. On the way to the hospital, a nurse had stuck an IV in him, and Clark had again felt the strength of Jason's struggle as he held him still. The IV was there just to replace the fluids he lost when he became ill at school, and the bag was still half full.

As Jason sat propped up in the stark white hospital bed, he was trying his best to fiddle with the IV needle stuck in the back of his hand, while doing his best not to let either parent see what he was up too.

Not far from his bed, Lois was on the phone with her father who had gotten word of Jason's sudden attack and was assuring him that everything was fine, and that he and her mother didn't need to come by for a visit. They were leaving for Spain in the morning and when she hung up the phone she shut her eyes.

Seeing her shut her eyes, Clark had a guess that her parents were going to come by with or without her permission. He walked over to her a moment before he stopped to turn back toward Jason. "Hey, remember what the nurse told you, if that comes out they will have to stick another one in its place," he said.

Jason did as his mother had done after getting off the phone with his grandparents, and shut his eyes. He hated being here, and wanted to go home so that they could get ready to go to Montana. Reaching to his left, the little boy grabbed a TV remote and turned the channel until he found a cartoon to watch.

When Clark's arms wrapped around her waist, and pulled her against his body so that her back was pressed against his chest, Lois opened her eyes and leaned her head back. "They insist on seeing him before they leave," she said as she looked up at the man she was falling in love with.

For a moment Clark looked down at Lois and then glanced briefly at Jason, who was starring intently at the TV. He lowered his head and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, before both of them walked over to Jason's bed to watch TV with him.

* * *

It didn't seem to long before the General and Ella arrived in the room just as Jason's Dr, a woman named Karen Mason, left the room after telling Lois and Clark that Jason's attack had likely happened due to some sort of Allergic reaction. By then Jason was agitated and wanted to go home and as soon as he saw The General he told him that his mommy and his daddy would not let him leave.

"Well now, I think he looks fine," the General said as he walked over to his grandson and gave him a kiss.

Lois shut her eyes and counted to ten, promising herself that she wouldn't get angry this time. "Yes he is much better, but his Oxygen level is still low, and he needs to stay here in case he has another Asthma attack," she explained as she opened her eyes.

Ella walked over to the bed and gave Jason a colorfully wrapped package and the little boy eagerly ripped it open. Inside he found two toy cap guns, and a sheriff's outfit. "Oh wow," Jason said as his mom glared at the General.

"I thought you might like that. You know back when I was in the service," he began.

Clark could tell Lois was about to lose it and stepped up. "Uh, maybe telling Jason war stories isn't such a good idea sir, Lois doesn't seem to be too comfortable with that idea," he said.

General Lane looked up as if noticing Clark for the first time. "So you must be Clark," he said as he stood up. He held out his hand and when Clark shook it he was surprised to find a sure firm grip that almost hurt his hand. "Well you're stronger than you look son. Now what makes you think that Jason isn't ready to hear stories of when I served my country, he is a smart boy, takes after the Lane side of the family I do believe."

Fortunately before things could get too heated up, a nurse came in to check on Jason and told them that only the parents were allowed to stay.

Relief crossed over Lois's face as her father and mother left, and once they were gone, she and Clark got Jason settled in for a night in the hospital. Clark read to Jason from one of the books Lois happened to have in her purse and when he was finally asleep, Clark walked over to where Lois was standing by the Window looking out at the city below.

"I don't know why he does that," Lois said referring to her father.

Clark thought about that for a moment, and then answered, "Because he believes that he is right in all things, and it seems like he wants Jason to be like him," he said truthfully.

Lois turned around to face Clark. "Thank you for standing by my side, I want to get those guns and toss them out, my father knows how I feel about them, and Jason has been asking for a set of those for longer than I can remember." Again she found herself in his arms and was beginning to realize how safe she felt with Clark around. After sharing a brief snuggle, Lois settled down on the couch against the wall under the window to try and get some sleep, while Clark sat next to Jason's bed keeping a close eye on their little boy.

* * *

Two days later all three of them were on a Plane heading west. Jason had wanted Superman to fly them there, but Clark told him that it was too cold for he and his mother to endure the journey, and Jason didn't argue. He had forgotten about his cap guns, which Lois had accidentally left in one of the hospital waiting rooms, and was excited about meeting his new grandparents.

By dinner time they had arrived at the cabin, in the car Lois had rented at the airport. Jason was asleep in the back seat, and didn't even move as Clark lifted him out. His pediatrician told them both that Jason might sleep a lot over the next few days, and said that was normal, and having gone through this a few times before, Lois knew what to expect. As they walked around the front of the cabin, both Martha and Ben had come out of the house to greet them. Clark had phoned and told them about Jason's illness, and both of them were glad that the family had been able to make the trip.

The cabin was by no means small. It was two stories, complete with three bedrooms, and one master bedroom downstairs. After hugs were giving, Martha led her son and Lois upstairs to the room directly across from the staircase. "I fixed this room up for Jason," Martha said in a quiet voice. She opened the door and inside the room was warm due to a fire burning in a small fireplace. They didn't turn the lights on because the warm glow of the fire was enough to see by.

From the door, Martha watched as Lois pulled the covers down on the small bed, and then smiled as she watched Clark lay Jason down, before he took off his shoes, and pulled the handmaid quilt and sheets over his small body. When her son and Lois came out of the room she led them to the room on the left of the staircase which was much bigger, and had its own bathroom. Again there was a fireplace with a fire burning inside, and Clark told Lois she should take that room.

Clark's room was on the opposite end of the staircase from Lois's and was the same style and size as the room she was staying in. In his new room, Clark changed into more comfortable cloths and when he finished he left, and went to Jason's just as Lois came out. "How is he doing?" Clark asked in a soft whispered voice.

"Sound asleep, I don't think he will be up until tomorrow morning," she said. Lois had also changed cloths, from wearing a long skirt and a blouse and Jacket that matched, to a pair of jeans that fit snug around her legs and waist, and a casual dark blue sweater. When Clark smiled at her and held out his hand, Lois took it and they went downstairs.

Nearly an hour later all four adults were seated on the couches close to the fire place in the living room, and Lois was laughing as Martha told him about Clark as a child. Next to Lois, Clark was shaking his head, enjoying seeing a smile on Lois's face, even if it was at his expense.

As she finished her latest story, Martha realized that everyone's drink glasses were empty, and as she got up to remedy that, Lois got up offering to help her. The two women left the men for the kitchen, and when they arrived, Lois filled her two glasses with ice, while Martha got out the white wine they had all been enjoying. "Martha, I hope you don't mind me asking you this, but did you have trouble keeping Clark's abilities a secret?"

Martha had been prepared for this question, and as she poured the wine into the glasses she answered. "When he was young like Jason' there wasn't too much to hide. He did have his moments like Jason when he was upset and his powers would manifest, but those times were very few and far between. His powers really didn't start to show until after he turned twelve, and living on a farm in the middle of no where helped us keep his abilities secret," she said, watching as Lois took all of that in. She could tell that the young woman was still worried, and after setting down the glasses she had, Martha walked over to Lois and put her hand on her shoulder. "You and Clark will work through this," she said confident of that.

Despite her worries, Martha's words did comfort Lois and after getting her glass of wine and Clark's she joined the older woman as they went back into the Living room. As she sat down Jason walked into the room rubbing his eyes.

A little shy due to being sleepy, Jason walked over to where Clark was sitting and was glad when he was finally in his arms. When his mommy introduced his new grandparents, Jason politely said hello to them, and then just sat on his daddy's lap and listened as the adults talked. In two more days it would be Christmas, and Jason was very excited about that.

* * *

The next day, Jason warmed up to both of his grandparents, and was glad that he didn't have to call Ben anything other than Grandpa. While Jason headed out on a walk with both of his grandparents, so that his parents could get the rest of his presents wrapped, Lois went up to her room and got the present she had made for Clark, wanting to give it to him now while they had the house to themselves. When she had what she needed, Lois crossed the hall to his room and knocked on the door. Clark opened the door and she held out the two wrapped gifts.

"Hey what happened to waiting for Christmas," he teased as she smirked at him. They both went downstairs, and after sitting down on the Couch close to the 52 inch TV, something Lois said he would need, Clark opened the biggest present first. What he found was an album and on the front it had Jason's full name, Jason Kyle Kent. "Lois, you didn't have to do that," Clark said when he read Jason's last name as Kent instead of White.

Lois smiled at him. "Clark you are his father, and he is going to carry your last name even if you and I decide to eventually go our separate ways," she said sounding a bit sad as she said that. Clark reached out and hugged her before he opened the album and finding Jason's birth certificate which had been changed to reflect his new last name. The next page had Jason's first picture, and Clark felt his throat tighten as he saw how tiny his son had been at birth. By the time he finished looking through the book he was speechless, but Lois put the next present in his hands before he could say anything.

This next present was a DVD of some sort, and as he sat on the burgundy sofa in the TV room, Lois put the DVD into the player and soft music began to play as the picture came into view. Clark watched the screen as the camera zoomed in on a plastic stork in back of Lois's house which had a sign saying **It's a boy**. The Image faded and the next image came on the screen zooming in on Jason in his infant seat. The image went with the picture Clark had seen in the album of Jason on his first day home from the hospital. His son was tiny even then, and as they watched the DVD, Clark put his arm around Lois. Clark noticed that all of the pictures and all of the Image's on the DVD only included Lois and Jason, and when the DVD finished he wrapped both arms around Lois and just held her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there," he finally said.

"I know, but you are here now and that is all that matters to me." After they shared a brief kiss, Clark got up, and Lois watched as he went upstairs. While he was gone she took the DVD out of the player and was putting it in the case that went with it when he returned with his present which was a small box shaped gift. Lois opened it carefully finding a jewelry case and when she opened that she found a pair of crystal earrings inside as well as a matching necklace. "Oh how beautiful," she said.

Before either of them could say more, they heard Jason calling out for them to come outside, and after putting the box on the coffee table, Lois took Clark's hand, and they went out to the front of the house to see the snow that was starting to fall, and to hear all about the deer Jason had seen on the walk he had taken with his grandparents.

* * *

The soft glow of the fire in his room woke Jason, and after rubbing his eyes a huge smile formed on his face. He sat up and pushed the covers off of his bed, and then slipped out and ran to his door. It was chilly but he didn't care as he ran to his mommy's room first. He opened the door and ran to her bed, on the wall opposite of the door. "Mommy its Christmas wake up," Jason said pulling on her arm.

Lois groaned as she lifted her head seeing that it was 6am. "Jason, it is early still, I don't think anyone is up," Lois said.

"Actually this house is full of early birds," Clark said from the entrance of the door. "Come on pal, let your mom get some rest," he said willing to let Lois do that if she wanted.

Jason pouted, and then laughed as his mom hopped out of bed, and grabbed him tickling him, until he was begging for her to stop. After she did, the three of them headed downstairs and when they entered the den they found a huge tree decorated with crystals and bows, one that had not been there last night.

Lois glanced at Clark who gave her a wink, and then she walked over to where Jason was eyeing all of the presents under the tree, most of which were his. Before they left Metropolis, Superman had brought all of Jason's presents here, and along with the presents his parents had gotten, there were quite a few from his grandparents.

"Jason, you need to open this one first," said Martha. She took the circular package, and placed it in front of her grandson before she placed a kiss on his head.

Lois wondered what was in the package, and blinked as she saw it wiggle. As soon as Jason untied the ribbon over the top, it popped off revealing a Dalmatian puppy, and even though Lois had sworn never to have an animal in the house, when she saw how happy Jason was she just laughed along with the rest of them.

From the fireplace, Martha's old dog Shelby perked up and then walked over to sniff the puppy snuggling in Jason's arms. After sniffing it, the old dog went back to his bed, not very interested in the new addition to the family.

Jason laughed as his new puppy licked his face, and when asked what he was going to name her, the little boy smiled at his family. "Lucky, just like in the movie," he said.

So that Jason could open the rest of his presents, Clark took Lucky over to his new crate and got him settled in there. When he returned Jason had opened another present from his grandparents, a remote controlled tractor.

"Jason, when your daddy was little we used to have a tractor like that to mow the grass in our yard," Martha said as Jason went for another present.

* * *

Several hours later, Jason had fallen asleep on the sofa in the Den with Lucky resting next to him. All of the paper from the presents had been cleaned up, and thrown into the fire, and all of Jason's new toys had been set back under the tree. Martha and Ben had gone into the kitchen to work on Christmas dinner, and on another sofa seated next to Clark, Lois looked over at her little boy. "I think this is the best Christmas he has ever had," Lois admitted.

"I know it has been mine," Clark said as Lois snuggled against him. So far today he had not gone away to do any Super duties and Clark hoped it would remain that way.

* * *

Seated in his newly renovated office, Lex Luther was looking at the paper. It was Christmas, and too quiet for his own tastes. The news was peaceful, and Lex knew that Superman's return had ushered that in. As he put the paper aside he looked at the entry to his office as a young Scientist, his tenth, walked in. "Well?" he asked.

"It did what I thought it would do, but I still have to work on the strain and test it against the sample before I know for sure that it will work out," Max said brushing his long blond hair out of his eyes.

"Well don't just stand there, I need that to be ready for the new year, to ring in with a bang," Lex said and watched as the young man ran out. Sometimes Lex wondered how the world survived with such idiots around, and then Miss Kitty walked into the office wearing a silk gown and for now his thoughts were of pleasuring himself with her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The story of Jason**

The evening after Christmas, Martha and Ben took Jason into the nearest small town to have dinner, and to see a film about Santa Clause. As they left, Clark had a feeling his mom had planned this outing since she had known he was bringing Lois here, and he couldn't say he was all that ashamed or disappointed. Once the truck was headed down the long drive to the main road, Clark turned slightly to his left seeing a wistful look in Lois's eyes. "He will be fine with them," he said, trying to draw her out.

Lois wasn't worried about her son going with Martha and Ben, both of them knew Clark's secret, and Martha had raised a son from Krypton, who likely had more powers than Jason ever would. She gazed at Clark and smiled. "I thought maybe now that they are gone for a while, you and I could talk. I told you a little about when Jason was born, but I want to tell you the rest," she said. Lois reached out her right hand and when he took it holding it in his left, she offered him a smile and then the two of them went back into the house.

In the TV room, where the tree still stood with all the ornaments, and the piles of toys at its base, Lois sat down on the Burgundy Sofa facing the Television. Clark sat down next to her and she took a breath. "For the longest time after you left, I kept wondering what I had done, or if you even knew about Jason." She saw the shocked look in his eyes but he didn't say anything so she continued. "I know if you would have known, you would not have gone away, but I knew, somehow I knew, that he was your son, that the new life I had in me was our baby, and I had no idea what I was going to do." As she told Clark about the beginning her mind took her back to that painful scary time in her life.

* * *

_Lois Lane, ace reporter at the Daily Planet, sat in the small examination room of her doctor's office, looking at Dr. Frances Brannon, who had been her doctor for nearly all of her adult life. Her eyes focused on him, and her mind reeled at what he had just told her. She shook her head and even managed a laugh. "No, I haven't been in a relationship with anyone in a long while," she said._

_The Dr. who was sitting on a stool across from where she still sat, wearing a paper gown reached out and took her hand. "Lois, I've seen many pregnancy tests in my day, and yours is positive honey," he said. _

_At that point Lois clapped a hand over her mouth, and when the Doctor gave her a garbage can she threw up what she had eaten earlier for breakfast. When she finished she shook her head, "How far am I, I still smoke on occasion," she admitted. _

_Her Dr. told her that she was at least three months along, and told her that he wanted to set up an ultrasound so that they could measure the baby and see if everything was developing as it should be at this stage. Lois nodded her head, still feeling dizzy and somehow she managed to get home to her apartment where she fell into her bed sobbing._

* * *

Coming out of that memory, Lois looked at Clark and could see the pain in his eyes. "I don't have to continue she said, hoping that he would stop her, but already he was shaking his head, and after he took her hand and kissed the back of it, she found the strength to continue. "After that day, the next day I had another date with Richard and I told him about the pregnancy."

* * *

_Sitting across from Richard at a round table with a white table cloth draped over it, Lois starred blankly at her plate. She had ordered the house special, Lasagna with red wine, but now she couldn't eat._

_Across from where Lois sat, Richard could tell something was wrong and after taking a sip of his wine he called her name. "Lois," he said softly. "Lois," he said again, and finally she looked at him giving him a weak smile. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked and when she nodded her head, he got up and went around the table to her chair. As he helped her stand up, the waiter came by concerned about them leaving. "I'm sorry, she isn't feeling well," Richard said and gave the waiter a hefty tip before they left the small Italian Café. _

_Lois held Richard's hand as they walked across the street to Centennial Park, and when they arrived at the fountain in the center of the park, she sat down beside him. "Richard, I have had a really good time with you, but I think this should be our last night out," she said. She saw the sad look in his eyes, and hated it because he was really a great guy. In the past week since they met, and since he had taken her to the fair, she had never remembered having such a great time with any man, and now she was hurting him. "It isn't you, I'm pregnant, I found out yesterday," she said as she felt tears well up in her eyes._

_For a moment Richard was shocked, but then when he looked at her, really looked, he could see how hurt she was, and wondered what kind of man could do that to someone as alive as Lois Lane. "Can you tell me anything about that?" He didn't want to pry but he felt there was more to it than what she was saying. He reached out and held both of her hands waiting and hoping that she would talk to him._

"_There is not much I can tell, my child's father left sometime ago without a word to me. I don't think he meant to leave without telling me but I don't know. I'm sorry Richard I can't tell you anymore than that," she said somehow knowing that the baby growing inside of her was Superman's child._

* * *

"After that night he kept calling me, and I told him that someday you might come back but he said he didn't care, that we would deal with that when it became an issue. I knew I should have refused to talk to him, but I was so afraid and alone and I never needed anyone like I did then," she said as she reached up with her free hand and wiped the tears away from her face. Clark had done the same to his own face just moments before, and after taking in a deep breath she drudged on. "My pregnancy with Jason wasn't out of the ordinary, he was healthy despite me smoking for the first three months after he was conceived, and then right around 22 weeks it happened.

* * *

_Everyone in the office had gotten over the shock of seeing Lois Lane pregnant. Despite being in her 21st week, Lois was still the top reporter in the office. She still went out on investigations when she needed to, and still put in late night hours. Richard by that point had become a constant companion and they had even moved into a house by the River. He knew he wasn't the father of her child, but Lois was surprised out how excited he was for this baby to arrive, almost as if it was truly his child. _

_Seated at her desk, Lois was typing up an exposé on the corruption of the city government when she felt a sharp pain in her lower back. She scooted back in her seat and leaned as far over as she could, reaching behind her back with her left hand to try and rub out the stiffness. _

"_Lois are you okay?" Richard asked as he came out of his office to find her leaning over. When she sat up she gasped and Richard knew something wasn't right. "Stay put," he said as he ran back into his office_.

* * *

Clark listened as she told him about that day, how Richard stayed by her side while the ambulance made it's way to the office, and he could not get over the guilt he was feeling as she continued on.

"When I got to the hospital they made Richard wait in the waiting room, and he had company, my father and mother arrived not long after they took me into the delivery room. Dr. Brannon told me that if I delivered the baby this early in the game that it would not survive. They gave me some sort of drug and by that evening the labor stopped. They also gave me shots in my IV to help Jason's lungs mature, so that if he did deliver early then he might have a fighting chance. He waited five more weeks and while I was still on bed rest the labor started up again. They let Richard in after they got me ready, and told me to start pushing. I cried, and did my best not to push but nature took its course and our son was born."

* * *

_A full day had passed by and Lois had not had the courage to go up to the NICU to see her son. Richard had shuttled back and forth between both of them, and she could tell from the look in his eyes that things were not going well for her baby._

_The next morning after breakfast she finally got up the courage, and after a nurse came with the wheelchair, Richard pushed her up to the NICU. As she put on a yellow robe, the young nurse told her what to expect._

"_He has a lot of tubes hooked up to him, and the first time you see him it will be overwhelming, but you will be able to touch him if you want too," the nurse said as they went inside the unit. _

_Lois looked around the room at all of the incubators and then looked ahead of her as they arrived at the one that said **Baby Boy Lane**. Lois put her hand over her mouth as she looked inside seeing her tiny son covered with tubes and wires of every sort. The nurse who brought them in explained what each one did, and then she opened up a small door on the side of his incubator and left them to spend time with their son._

* * *

Lois shut her eyes as she thought of that time, and then cleared her throat. "The first time a touched his tiny hand he grasped on with a strength I didn't think was possible. He fought for his life those first few weeks, and then when he was five weeks old, I got to hold him in my arms for the first time.

As she said that, Clark could see the wonder in her eyes and could only imagine what it had been like to hold their baby. His own arms ached to do that, even though he knew he would never be able to get that part of Jason's life back.

* * *

_Jason, as she and Richard had named him, was wrapped tight in a hospital receiving blanket. He had on a bright yellow cap that his aunt Lucy had gotten him, and the only two things attached to him now was a heart monitor, and nasal prongs that delivered oxygen to his underdeveloped lungs. Lois had been off of work since his birth, and had yet to leave the hospital, refusing to do that until he was ready to go home. The staff had been supportive of that, and had set up a room for her down in maternity, but right now Lois was totally focused on the tiny baby she held in her arms. "One day, I will tell you the truth, and maybe one day he will come back," she whispered as she leaned down and kissed his tiny forehead. _

* * *

"I was going to tell him, but I just couldn't and it became easier and easier to live the lie that Richard was his true father. I never thought you were coming back," she said as she again shut her eyes. For a moment Lois felt alone again, and then she felt his lips on her right cheek kissing the tears away, while he wiped the tears from the other cheek with the front of his thumb. She felt his lips go lower to her chin, and then felt his heated breath on her lips a moment before she felt the softness of his lips upon her own. Lois turned and leaned back on the sofa and felt the weight of his body cover her own. Her eyes were still closed and she was enjoying the sensations his touch was bringing to her body. In the back of her mind she wondered if this was real, and when she felt his hands pulling her blouse out of her jeans, Lois knew it was very real.

* * *

It was close to 9:30pm when Ben pulled the truck up to the house, and in between he and Martha, their grandson was sound asleep. Jason had loved the Santa Clause movie and they had enjoyed laughing along with him at the funny antics of the elves and even Santa himself.

As Ben shut off the truck, both of them saw Clark come out of the house wearing a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, and Martha noticed that he looked like he had been asleep. "You don't need to get him," she said feeling bad that she may have interrupted something.

"He isn't as light as he looks when he's out like this," Clark whispered as he leaned in to the truck un-strapping Jason from his booster seat. He lifted Jason up and managed to get him out of the truck without waking him. He held Jason against his chest for a moment just standing there, glad he was back home.

When they got inside, the house was rather dark, and Clark told his mom and Ben goodnight as he went upstairs to put his son to bed. In Jason's room, Clark laid him down in his small bed and gently pulled his Birkenstock sandals off of his small feet. As he put them on the floor he heard a slight creek of one of the boards, and looked up as Lois walked into the room looking equally as sleep rumpled. He waited as she walked over to Jason's suitcase and pulled out a pair of warm fuzzy pajamas, the one piece sort with feet in them, and when she walked over to the bed, they both got Jason dressed in his warm jammies without even a peep from him. When they were ready, Clark lifted him up and settled him against the pillow leaning down to kiss his soft cheeks. Somehow he would have to find a way to make it up to both of them for his long absence in their life, and already he had started to make up for lost time with Lois.

After Clark kissed their son, Lois took her turn, running her fingers through Jason's soft brown hair. She leaned in and kissed his cheeks, and his nose, and then his lips and smiled before she turned around to face Clark. She found him watching their son, and could see the pride in his eyes. They still had a long way to go, she knew, and there would likely still be obstacles, but right now she was with the two people she loved most in her life and for once she did not feel any guilt of any sort.

This was real, Clark realized as he looked at his little boy. This child, his son, would need his protection and his guidance, and he was ready to do that, ready to be Jason's father. When Lois turned around to face him, he took one last look at their little boy before he extended his hand. Once she had his hand, he led her out of Jason's room, and then to his room, where they had been sleeping when his parents arrived home. He didn't know what would happen when they got back to the city, but right now he had all he wanted, and he wasn't going to waste his time on worries.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Return to Reality**

The morning after the New Year began; Jason sat on the sofa in the TV room holding Lucky on his lap. He still had on his warm, fuzzy, blue pajamas with the feet in them, and was eating a bowl of dry rice cereal with just a sprinkle of sugar, and a small amount of soy milk. As the cat on the TV ran around the house, he stepped on the end of a shovel, and got hit in the head with the handle. Jason laughed, and from beneath the tree, Shelby, his granny's dog looked up. Shelby was still getting used to having this little boy in his house, but went back to sleep shortly after Jason laughed again. Jason was so wrapped up in his show that he didn't see his daddy enter the room, and then he saw Clark out of the corner of his eyes before his attention was back on the TV.

Clark sat down next to his little boy, and smiled as Jason laughed at the cartoons he was watching. He waited for the show to end before he asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Really good, Daddy, do we have to leave today?" Jason asked not wanting to do that. He loved being here mostly because of all of the attention his Granny and Pappa lavished upon him, but also because he was with both of his parents, and he liked that.

"We really do, your Granny and Pappa are going to Florida tomorrow, and they need time to pack up and prepare for their trip," Clark said. He watched as Jason looked away, and hated to be the one to make him sad. Before he could say anything, his mom walked into the room and took Jason's bowl.

Martha saw the sad look in Jason's eyes and knelt down in front of him. "Now what is there to be sad about?" she asked as he looked at her.

"I want to stay with you and Pappa," he said as he sniffed.

Seeing her grandson suddenly so sad made Martha sad. "Oh Jason, I would love for you too, but you have a life back in the city, and I promise you that I will find something really special when your pappa and I go to Florida, and I will mail it to you," she said.

"It won't be the same as being with you," Jason said as his lips drew down. When Martha reached out to hug him, Jason held on to her doing his best not to cry, but lately goodbyes were hard on him.

Martha held Jason in her arms for a few moments, and when he drew away from her she kissed his cheeks. "How would you like to go on a walk with Pappa and me?" She asked, and instantly his blue eyes lit up with excitement. Martha watched as he asked Clark and when her son said yes, she found herself being tugged out of the room.

* * *

Just after lunch that day, and after he had flown all of Jason's toys back to Lois's house, along with Lucky in her crate, Clark Kent hugged his mom goodbye. "Thank you for having us here," he said as they parted. Beside him, Jason was hugging Ben, and when Clark moved away, Jason hugged Martha and he was surprised when she picked him up for a better hug.

When Lois came out of the house, after one last check to make sure they had everything, Clark led the way to their rental car, and helped his mom get Jason into his booster seat. Jason held on to his Granny's neck for as long as he could, and when she finally let him go he turned away from her as his tears fell silently down his cheeks.

Martha shut the door feeling guilty, and then hugged Lois, who assured her that Jason would be back to himself likely before they hit the main road. After giving a hug to Ben, Lois got into the passenger seat of the Ford Taurus they had rented, and Clark pulled out onto the long narrow road which would start their journey home.

Lois peered back at Jason who was looking out the window and could see the tears still falling down his cheeks. If she was truthful to herself, she wasn't looking all that forward to returning home. She had enjoyed this time with Clark and his family, and then she realized that he had not gone out to save anyone since they arrived in Montana, save for one really bad auto accident on a freeway just east of Los Angeles CA.

Heading home felt strange, and Clark wondered what would happen when they got back to Metropolis. He knew Superman would be needed, and that he was already needed at this very moment, but right now it was time for his family, and the world would have to survive at least until tonight without him. As he glanced over at Lois he could tell she was deep in thought and took his right hand off of the steering wheel, and grasped her left hand.

* * *

Just past 5pm, a red and white taxi pulled up in front of the house on Riverside Dr. In the back seat Lois gently woke Jason, who had not spoken very much at all since they had left Montana. She helped him get his coat on because the weather outside was frigid, and then after she buttoned her own coat, she opened the door and took in a shuttering breath as the reality of how cold it was hit her.

The Driver of the taxi was nice enough to help them get their luggage into the house, and after paying him, Lois shut the door and walked down the four stairs from the landing finding Jason playing with Lucky. "Okay Munchkin, I don't know about you but I'm hungry," Lois said.

"Mommy, may I take Lucky outside?" Jason asked not interested in food at this point.

Lois helped Jason get his coat back on and wrapped a scarf around his neck so that he could keep his face warm, and once he had gone, she searched their refrigerator and found it empty. Very quickly she went to the phone and ordered Chinese delivery, and after she hung up she went over to the sofa in the living room and plopped down. This house had been her home for five years and now she didn't know if she could stay here anymore. She was starting a new chapter in her life, with Clark Kent, and suddenly being alone hurt.

* * *

New York State had been slammed by a huge snow storm, and Superman was doing all he could to help work crews clear the roads. He had intended on going by Lois's at some point that evening, but it was evident, as the snow still fell, that he would be busy for quite some time. He used his heat vision to clear some of the major freeways, to allow motorists passage, but as the snow kept falling, the roads were again getting too slick for safe travel.

When the snow finally began to let up, it was nearly 11pm, and when he flew into Metropolis he flew past his house to the other side of the city, and landed in front of Lois's house. All was very quiet, but he already knew she was inside waiting for him. When he got to the door she opened it and he drew her into his arms kissing her, and holding her to him for long moments. As she pulled away he could see the sad look in her eyes. "Tell me," he said as he kissed her lips again.

"Jason won't eat, and when you didn't come by to tuck him in he cried himself to sleep. I have never seen him this way before, not even when Richard left. I tried to explain to him that you were needed to help those people in the storm, but I don't think his little mind is ready to understand that he has to share his daddy with the world."

Her words stung, but he had not expected for Jason to understand why he was needed. "May I go see him?" he asked.

Lois smiled at him. "You don't ever have to ask me that," she said. She watched as in the blink of an eye he changed into the jeans and sweater he had worn on the way back from Montana and then watched him as he went upstairs to look in on their son.

* * *

Before he even arrived in Jason's room, Clark knew he was awake. When he knelt by the bed, Jason sat up and Clark lifted him out from beneath the covers sitting back on the floor as he cradled him in his arms.

"You didn't come," Jason said as he looked up at his father's face.

"I know. There was a big snow storm, and I had to go help clear the roads to keep the people safe."

Jason knew that already and shook his head. "You are my daddy, not theirs," as he finished saying that he began to cry, and Clark held him close. He wasn't sure how he was going to balance things out between his duties as a father and his duties to the world, and again his mind came back to what his Kryptonian mother had said to him when he admitted his love for Lois. She told him he would have to live as a mortal, and until now he had not understood. He knew now, as he did then, that he could not forsake the world Superman, and he also knew that Jason would suffer as he was now until he was old enough to understand why he did what he did.

Once Jason was asleep, Clark put him back in his bed and watched as Lucky snuggled in his arms. He gave his son a light kiss on his cheek before he walked out of the room finding Lois sitting on the top of the stairs.

"How do we help him understand?" She asked as Clark sat down next to her.

"I'm not sure there is a way, and I'm not sure I can hurt him like this," he admitted.

Lois turned to face the man she loved. "Clark, what choice do you have, the world needs you, and eventually Jason will be old enough to understand."

"I could always become mortal again," he said and saw her shaking her head. "Then tell me what to do here Lois, because I don't know how to live with myself knowing that Jason might cry himself to sleep every night I am not there to tuck him in." He wasn't angry at her, just at himself because there were no easy answers.

"I think you being here as much as you can, will help him, and he will adjust to this. Right now he has a great deal to get used too, and it is going to take him time," she offered as he put his arm around her.

* * *

The next day, Lucy came by and took Jason to see another movie, leaving Lois alone in the house to contemplate her life. She had already been on the internet looking up realtors, hardly believing that she was about to do this for real. What she really wanted was a place where she and Clark and Jason could live together, but for right now she knew she would have to settle for an apartment, just until she saw how things would go.

As she was about to pick up the phone, it began to ring and as she answered it she found Richard on the other end. He told her that the Planet was moving him to their China office, and then that he had started dating a woman he had known since before they got together. Hearing that bit of news made Lois both happy and sad. "I'm glad you called, I have decided to move out of the house," she said.

On his end Richard was surprised, but then he guessed things between she and Superman were moving along. "You do what you need to do Lois, if you will fax me the documents I'll sign everything over to you to make things easier," he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. Richard had known all those years ago that this would likely happen, but it was still very hard. "How is Jason holding up?"

"He doesn't understand about his daddy's other job," Lois said knowing that she really couldn't say more over the phone. She told him how depressed he had been, and then she shut her eyes. "I don't know if this is right Richard, it feels right, but I can't just go on that alone," she said.

Lois would never know how much he wanted to tell her to come with him to China and forget about Clark Kent and Superman, but Richard knew that even though she was afraid, her life and Jason's was with the Man of Steel. "Just take your time, there isn't anything that says you have to rush out and get married, or, well you know what I mean."

His words brought some comfort to her, though Lois didn't feel they were rushing this. She and Superman had a history together, one she had just gotten light of, and she did want their lives to work out. "Well I should get going, I need to call the realtors and get this show on the road." Richard suggested she use the same Realtor, Seaside reality, who sold them the house five years before, and after she hung up with him she called that company.

* * *

After seeing the movie with his Aunt Lucy, Jason went with her to a huge toy store not far from where his Mommy and Daddy worked at the Planet. Despite being so sad, he was starting to liven up.

Spending time with Jason was something Lucy didn't do enough of, and she wanted that to change. She was on the outs with Nick again, and had decided to swear off men for now. As she gazed at a display of a model fair set, she didn't notice that Jason was not close by, and after she watched the models move around she turned around to point out the circus act, and saw that Jason' was no where to be seen. "Jason," she called out not yet worried. He wondered off a lot but never too far away.

Hearing a puppy barking, Jason had gone back down to the first floor of the store, and saw a man walking outside with a crate full of puppies. He knew he shouldn't leave, but reasoned with his five year old mind that as long as he stayed right close to the store, he would be safe. Once he was outside he saw the man putting the crate into a white van directly across from him, and ignoring all of the things he had ever been taught, Jason walked over to him. "Can I see your puppies?" he asked.

"Why sure you can, just hop right up there," the man with the long blond hair said.

For a moment Jason hesitated, and then he heard the puppies yapping and without a worry on his little mind he got into the white van.

* * *

At the house, Lois had just finished talking with the Realtors when the phone began to ring. She picked it up expecting it to be the General but instead she heard Lucy sobbing. "Lucy," Lois said suddenly alert.

"Oh Lois, he's gone, I turned just for a second and he's gone," she said as she began to cry again.

Lois felt her stomach tighten and shut her eyes. "Calm down Luce, he can't have gone very far, where are you now?" Lucy told her she was at Gibson's Toy Palace, and after she told her to try and calm down, Lois hung up the phone and ran up to her room to get her purse.

* * *

When he woke up, Jason felt sick and dizzy. He opened his eyes but couldn't see, and realized that aside from being strapped to a bed of some sort, he had a piece of dark fabric over his eyes. "Whose there?" He asked trying to be brave. He heard movement, and then something horrible smelling was placed over his nose. Jason tried to struggle but suddenly he was very sleepy.

Max took the handkerchief away after the boy went to sleep, and finished getting one last vile of blood, from the heal of Jason's foot. The strain was nearly complete, but Max needed a fresh sample of blood, to make sure that it would do what it was created to do. Once he had what he needed, he turned around and found his boss staring at the kid. "We could just do it now," he said.

"Yes that would be easy, but it would not make them suffer or worry like I want them too. I want Superman to lose everything, and when this child dies, he won't have anything left, and then we can take care of the woman too," he said. Lex Luther gave the boy one last look before he headed back upstairs. "Take him to Centennial Park after it gets dark." He called out.

While Max still didn't agree with killing a little kid, he was helpless to do much else. He cleaned off the place where he had stuck the needle, and sealed it with Liquid Band-Aid before he checked on his other work.

* * *

Evening arrived and Lois was frantic. Superman had flown all around the city and even on the outskirts, but could not find hide or hair of their son. They had gotten the police involved in the search as well, but so far no one had been able to find Jason. As she sat in her room biting her nails, she tried to think of where he would be, and then it hit her. "Oh god no," she said as she stood up and ran downstairs. She went outside and called out his name, and before she could say his name again he was there. "Lex Luther, he knows about Jason, what if he has him, he could be using something with lead to hide him." She saw his face grow angry and then he was gone.

* * *

The old mansion was empty, and there was no trace of anything Lex could have left behind. Superman had gone over the house three times, and was about to go a forth when his hearing picked up the sweetest sound he had ever heard. He ran outside and took of flying over the bay straight into Metropolis, and in the middle of Centennial Park hidden under a bench he found his son crying. "Jason," he said as he reached out and gently pulled him into his arms. It was late enough that the park was fairly empty, and once he was certain no one could see him, he took off with his son secure in his arms.

When he arrived at Lois's home she was waiting, and he put Jason in her arms, before he changed into Clark. Jason was sobbing, and had been since he found him at the park. Clark watched as Lois soothed him and after he had calmed down they asked him what had happened.

"I don't know," he said sniffing as Lois held him cradled in her arms. He was shaking, so they went upstairs and gave him a bath, along with his medicines before they put him to bed. It seemed as soon as his head hit the pillow, Jason was out, leaving the parents time to talk.

Once they were downstairs Lois asked Superman if he had found anything in the mansion that would lead them to Lex Luther.

"The mansion is empty, and I don't know if Luther had him or not, but my guess is he did, but why?" he asked for himself more than her.

Lois was pacing as she tried to think about it. "He knows Jason is your son, does he really need a reason other than that."

Clark stood up from the sofa and walked over to her. He put an hand on her shoulder and a moment later she was in his arms. "I won't let him hurt Jason, if I have to I'll spend the next five years tracking him down."

"But even as Superman you have a weakness that he knows of with the Kryptonite, and with not being able to see through anything made of lead," she pointed out and watched as he considered that. "What are you thinking?"

"Do you remember that expose I did before I left on Bruce Wayne?" When she nodded her head he thought about telling her what he knew but then he didn't. "He might be able to help, if I can convince him that it is a noble cause."

Clark's expose had been the first of many that were done on the Billionaire son of the Wayne fortune, but Lois wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Does he know about you," and when he nodded his head a thousand questions went through her head. She was still in his arms, and all she wanted to do was to find someplace safe where she could raise Jason, where they could both raise him, and not fear his being harmed.

* * *

The next morning when Jason got up his head still hurt. Lucky wasn't in his bed, so he went across the hall to his mommy's room, but found her bed empty. When he got downstairs he found his mommy and dad seated at the table talking, and Lucky asleep by his mom's feet. "Mommy my head hurts right here," Jason said as he walked over to the table rubbing his forehead. He stood still as his mommy felt his head, and then he was lifted onto her lap.

"Jason, can you try to remember what happened last night?" she asked, hating to push this on him, but already he was shaking his head.

While Lois held him, Superman scanned Jason's body, but could find nothing on him that might indicate any harm had come about. He heard the Grandfather Clock ring seven times and stood up. "Well I need to get going," he said as he walked over to them. He gave Lois a kiss on her lips and then one to Jason on his cheek. As he knelt down Jason reached out, and Clark hugged him close. "Be good for your mommy," he said feeling Jason nod his head in agreement. Clark had contacted Bruce already this morning, and his mutual friend in the crime fighting business agreed to meet with him. As he walked to the door he changed into his Superman attire, and then in a quick moment he was gone.

"I wish I didn't have to share my daddy," Jason said as he yawned.

Lois gave her baby a gentle squeeze before she stood up and carried him upstairs to get him dressed, and to start his daily morning routine of medicines.

* * *

**AN:** Okay the bad news. I am getting my computer overhauled which might take longer than I like so I won't be able to update for a while after this chapter, but please read and review, you guys are great and keep me going. I will try and get the computer back as soon as I can granted nothing to major is wrong with it, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thanks for your reviews and to everyone who has read this even without a review.

Eviefan


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Truth of the Matter**

The sun was just beginning to set when Lois pulled her car up to the house. Instantly she noticed the **For Sale** sign put up by Seaside Reality, something she had been expecting. In the back of the car she heard Jason gasp for air, and as she turned around she saw his eyes widen. Lois had intended on telling her little boy about putting the house up for sale, but between work, making sure he was safe at school, and trying to dig and find out anything she could about Lex Luther, talking to Jason had somehow slipped into the back recesses of her busy life. "Jason," she said, but that was all she got in before he was out of the car. Lois watched as he ran to the sign and began to tug at it, and leaving her keys in the ignition she ran to him just as he managed to pull the sign out of the ground.

"No, this is my house," Jason said gasping for air, not caring that his Lungs were screaming for oxygen that they were suddenly being deprived of. When his mom tried to hug him, Jason pulled away from her and looked at her with anger in his young eyes. "You made daddy leave and you can't make me go because I won't do it," he said. When she reached out to touch him again, Jason turned to run but only made it a short distance before he had to stop.

Lois had never seen her little boy so angry or hurt, and she watched as he tried to get control over his asthma attack. Jason found his inhaler and took a puff, but shook his head when she tried to approach him. Her son was only five years old, but he had always been smart. When he was just 18 months old he had already been able to talk in four or five word sentences, and by two years old he had the comprehension level of a four year old. It was cold and Lois went to Jason in spite of his protests. She hugged him but he didn't hug back, not at first, and then slowly she felt his arms wrap around her waist. "Why don't we go inside," she asked as she knelt by him, while he regained control over his breathing.

"I won't leave," Jason said softly as he let go of his mommy. He waited at the door tugging at the hood on his yellow coat, and when the door was unlocked he ran down the four stairs leading from the foyer to the first floor and went to Lucky's crate. "Hi Lucky girl," Jason said seeming to forget about the sign in the yard out in back of the house.

From the top of the stairs, Lois watched as Jason let his puppy out of her crate, and managed to smile without him noticing as the growing puppy stood on his lap to reach his face for some kisses. As she watched him, Lois wondered how things had gone for Clark with his meeting at Bruce Wayne's Mansion. She shut the door and headed upstairs, walking to the left of the staircase to her bedroom. As she began to take of the professional looking attire she wore to work each day, Lois began to relax a little. She knew that leaving this house would be hard for Jason, but she was also ready for the change. Lois pulled a white sweatshirt with Metropolis University printed on the front in dark blue, out from the dresser drawer and put that on. After pulling on a pair of blue sweat pants which matched the sweatshirt, she went back downstairs and found everything rather empty. Lois shut her eyes and then walked outside onto the patio where she saw Jason dragging the **For Sale** sign to the water's edge. "Stop right there," she called out.

Still wearing his good school cloths, and his good winter Jacket, Jason froze in his spot, knowing that tone in his mother's voice. As angry as he was at having to move, he knew better than to push his limits, remembering the last time he had been naughty. That time she had grounded him to his room for five hours, not allowing him to go outside to play, and the only time he was permitted to go out was when he had to use the bathroom.

Lois thought about grounding her son, but after all she had put him through she decided against it. "Jason, even if you toss that into the water, it won't stop what will happen," she said as she walked over to him. She knelt down again, and he looked away from her. "Jason, please talk to me," she pleaded hating to see him so upset.

Jason missed his daddy so much that it hurt right where his heart was. He loved his new daddy, but Superman, Clark didn't know him the way his other daddy knew him. "I want to go to China and live with my daddy," he said and then he ran past her. Lucky followed him into the house, and Jason made it to his room without losing his breath.

Those words stung, and Lois felt defeated as she got up and took the sign up to the patio. She propped it against the house and went inside to the kitchen. There she grabbed the bag of gourmet coffee from the Island Counter, and a single filter and put it into the single cup machine. She put her coffee cup with the Daily Planets Logo under the spout and then leaned against the counter next to the sink and hoped that Clark was having an easier time with things than she was.

* * *

Five and a half years ago, Perry had called him into his office, and told Clark about the interview of a life time. When he was told of Bruce Wayne Clark was surprised when his boss chose him for the assignment, and then later he found out why. Bruce had called the Planet offering to let an interview occur, but only if Clark Kent was the man to do it. That day had been strange enough, and Clark couldn't help but wonder if he was the one who should give the interview. Almost a week later he found himself in Gothem watching from the sky as a man in a cape hung a cop dangling above the street far below. Eventually Clark found out Bruce's secret and Bruce seemed to already know his own. They both agreed that what was best, was for Bruce to handle things in Gothem, and Superman to handle things in Metropolis as well as the rest of the world.

Seated in a very lavishly decorated living room, Clark Kent could tell that the house had changed some what since his last visit. He had been sitting on the very comfortable tan sofa for nearly an hour when Bruce finally decided to make an appearance.

"I am sorry to be so late, I had some lose ends to tie up," Bruce said as he took a seat across from Clark. He looked at the young reporter dressed in a gray suit, and could easily read the worried look in his eyes. Bruce was surprised to see him here, but waited as Clark composed himself.

Clark looked Bruce in the eyes and began without a stutter. Bruce knew who he was and there was no need for his act, not here. "I have come here to ask you to help me. I assume you know about Lex Luther?"

Like everyone else, Bruce had seen the news casts of Superman falling from space, and had watched the people rallying outside of Metropolis General Hospital. "I was aware of his appeal being granted, and I guessed that it had something to do with you being away," Bruce said keeping his eyes trained on Clark, not willing to give him any sort of comfort. It was true that the two of them led almost identical lives; they were both into saving lives, and helping those who were run down by the bad people of the world. The difference between them was that Bruce had no questions, or felt any remorse or guilt if a criminal he came across suffered painfully before he was taken to prison by Batman.

Even though the expression in Bruce's eyes told him that this could all be over in less than a minute, Clark went on. "You and I both agree that there needs to be far less of the Lex Luther's of the world, but now it has become something personal for me," he said keeping his eyes on Bruce.

As he said that, Bruce thought of Rachel, and her commitment to Gothem as a prosecutor for the DA. She knew his secret better than anyone else, and had refrained from letting them get involved, and Bruce had respected her wishes, because he knew that any sort of relationship would likely harm her. Now as he looked at Clark he was beginning to realize why his companion in crime fighting was here.

"I will keep my ears and eyes out for any word on Luther and his activities here, what you choose to do with your life is your choice, and you made it clear the last time I saw you, which if I recall was the day before you left for Krypton, that we did things too different to ever be able to help one another out." Bruce stood up as Alfred walked into the room carrying a sterling silver tray with tea. "Alfred, please see our company to the door, and then make a call to Foxx for me regarding what happened last night near the Asylum." Bruce gave a nod to Clark before he left.

* * *

As he flew back to Metropolis, Superman thought about what had happened with Bruce. He remembered saving a criminal from Batman even though he was aware that the man had been involved in a shoot out in the slums of Gothem. That night Bruce had called him an overgrown Boy Scout, and told him that one day his way of fighting crime would not be enough. Bruce told him that he needed to show force, make people afraid. Superman didn't agree on that and knew that he would have to leave Gothem to Batman.

It was long past dark when Superman entered Jason's room. As he touched down on the floor, Lucky lifted her head off of Jason's chest and her little tail began to wag. Soundlessly Superman crossed to the bed and knelt down petting the dog who settled back down against Jason once she had gotten the attention she wanted. Jason was asleep on his back with the covers pulled up nearly to his chin. The light from the hall cast a dim glow in the room, but it was enough for Superman to see the tear stains on his little face. He heard Lois's door open from across the hall and heard her step behind him telling him that they needed to talk. Before he stood up, Superman leaned in and gave his son a kiss on the left cheek.

Lois led the way downstairs now dressed in a brown robe which covered the short sleeved shirt and sweatpants she wore underneath. When he sat down on the sofa, she walked to the doors leading to the porch and looked outside. Lois wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but then she remembered about Bruce Wayne, and decided that was as good a place to start as any. "Were you able to get Mr. Wayne to help you?"

By the fast beat of her heart, and other outward signs, Superman knew that the woman he loved was uncomfortable about something, but addressed her question first. "He will do what he can do from Gothem City," he replied waiting for her to say something.

Lois wanted to ask him about why he had gone to see Bruce Wayne, but after her night with Jason, and sitting on the edge of his bed as he cried, not for Clark this time but for Richard, her curiosity on that subject had all but run out. "Jason wants to go live with Richard," she said as she turned around to face him. She saw a fleeting moment of hurt pass over his face, and then it was gone. Lois knew that Superman had regrets about leaving them, and she didn't want to add to them, but at the same time he needed to know about this latest crisis in Jason's life.

As Lois began to pace she began to bite her finger nails. "I keep telling myself that all of this is what is best for Jason and me, but then I keep wondering if I'm not considering his feelings on all of this. I asked him tonight what he wanted, and do you know what he told me?" She asked as she stopped pacing and turned toward him. Lois watched as he shook his head. "Jason told me that he wished that we could all live here in this house. He told me he doesn't understand why both of you can't live here with us and we could all be a family." The tears burned hot trails down her cheeks but Lois didn't care. Before he could answer her, Lois turned back toward the French doors leading out onto the patio and let her shoulders fall forward.

Once long ago, or maybe not so long ago, Superman had seen her in this much pain, and then he did what he thought was right. He kissed her, tasting the sweet taste of her lips against his own while at the same time drawing out the memories that were hurting her so much. This time he knew he couldn't do that, but he wasn't sure what else he could do. _Was this what it was to be a human man, to sit back on a couch and watch the woman you loved struggle with the very pain you promised yourself never to cause her. _Superman stood up and in two steps he stood behind her. He reached out his arms and gently pulled her against his body, wrapping them around her small frame. "Tell me what I can do to help you two," he said as she wrapped her arms around his.

His arms were strong and comforting, and Lois wanted to spend every night held in his arms in their bed, but right now she knew that maybe it was time to look at things realistically. "I, we can't do this," she said drawing in the strength she would need to do what she thought was best. She felt his arms loosen around her and her heart began to ache horribly, but Lois pushed that ache aside. She was strong and had always been that way. "Superman I am looking for an apartment for Jason and I to live in. He still needs you as his father, but I think maybe for now at least we need to let things cool down," Lois said.

More than anything else Superman wanted to refuse this. He knew what she wanted, and he knew that going back and forth like this would only be harder for Jason. As he gazed into the brown depths of her eyes, he saw the pain there as well as the fear and uncertainty. "Maybe tonight isn't the best time to try and make that type of decision. Will it be alright for Jason to spend tomorrow night with me?" he asked. Tomorrow was Friday, and before all of this had gone on, he had planned on keeping his son with him at least through Saturday evening. When she nodded her head and before she could protest, he brought her back into his arms and just held her. He felt Lois take a deep breath and let out a shuttering sigh but she didn't move away from him.

* * *

It was close to 4am when Superman walked into his house and when he did he wore the same suit he had worn that day, as well as his glasses. After leaving Lois's house, he had flown over Metropolis keeping his ears and his eyes trained on the city, trying to hear the one voice that he wanted to hear. Somehow Superman knew that Lex had found someplace to hide that likely had lead based walls. He wanted to know what Lex wanted with Jason, and he was frustrated with his own inability not to find him, and also at how things had gone with Bruce Wayne.

As Clark Kent dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he thought about Mr. Wayne. He knew what Bruce had lost as a child, and knew that the loss is what drove him as Batman to get a gain back on Gothem City, but he could not condone the way the man did business with the criminals of that city. In his teachings at his Fortress, one of the many subjects his father had drilled into him was the importance to never do an act of violence. _You must live your life in a way to serve the people, to be an example of what we as Kryptonians know is the right way to live. Violence will not teach them anything other than to be more hate driven in their ways… _Clark remembered those words as he slipped into bed, and wondered if he would be able to hold to the ways of his Kryptonian parents should Lex Luther hurt either Lois or Jason.

* * *

As Clark pulled his red truck into the driveway he glanced to his right. Jason had on his yellow winter coat, and had not said a word since they left the Daily Planet. Lois had informed him that their son was not speaking to her either, and Clark hoped he could draw him out. When he turned the engine off, Jason got his seat belt off, and opened the door. Clark was about to offer to help him, but Jason got down off of the seat on the floor of the cab, and then sat down and scooted out to the ground.

Clark got out of the truck as Jason walked to the door, and followed him there. He reached around Jason and put the key to the lock and then opened it and watched as his son walked through the living room and down the hall to his room. Using his X-ray vision, Clark saw Jason shut his door and saw a smile on his face as Lucky greeted him.

Jason stayed in his room until dinner, and as they sat at the table, Clark watched as Jason pushed the snow peas around on his plate.

"Daddy?" Jason looked at his father and took in a deep breath. "Will you let me go live in China with my other daddy?"

There was a look of hope in his blue pale blue eyes, and Clark knew that in a moment his words would dash that away. "I think your mom would miss you," he tried.

Jason looked at his plate. "No she won't, she wants to move away to forget about daddy, and I don't want to forget."

His small voice quivered as he spoke those last words, and Clark was on his feet and at Jason's side in less than a second. He gently pulled the chair out, and then knelt in front of him. "Jason, your mommy doesn't want to forget that part of her life, and I don't expect her or you to forget what your daddy means to you," he said.

"Why can't we live together?" He asked.

When Clark saw the hurt etching Jason's face his own heart contracted, and he now knew why Lois wanted to back off a little bit. Clark stood back up and easily lifted Jason from the chair. He sat back down holding Jason so that he was sitting sideways on his lap, and then he wrapped his strong arms around his son, much as he had done with Lois last evening. "We can't live together like that Jason." Clark did his best to explain why in a marriage only one man and one woman could have that sort of union.

"But we aren't married daddy, and so we can live together," Jason said as he looked up into Clark's face.

Again Jason's eyes shown a glimpse of hope, and again Clark was left to try and explain why that wouldn't work. In the end all he did manage to do was to make his son cry again, and bring on another asthma attack in the process. By the time Jason was finally asleep, Clark carried him from the TV room where he had fallen asleep on the floor watching a DVD movie called Babe, to his room where Lucky was waiting. Clark laid Jason down in his old bed and Lucky snuggled up in his arms. For a moment the Man of Steel watched his son sleep, and then he walked out of the room shutting the door until only a small crack remained before he went to his own room.

* * *

Laughter rang through Clark Kent's house the next morning, as Jason tried to get away from the mean old Grizzly bear that had snuck up on his tent, made out of two kitchen chairs pulled slightly apart and covered up by an old blanket. As Clark crawled on his hands and knees growling at his son, Lucky was yapping and nipping at his heals, though her tail was wagging which gave away her ferocious sounding barks. As soon as Jason was on the soft carpet, Clark reached out and grabbed his leg and pulled him down to the ground. Jason's laughter grew louder as he began to nibble at his belly.

"Lucky help me," Jason said, and then laughed more as his puppy came to him and began to lick his face.

Clark nibbled Jason a few more times before he let him go, and as he sat up he was instantly tackled by the same little boy who had been on the ground a second ago. Clark fell backward purposely as he brought Jason with him and both of them laughed before Jason's head and most of his body rested against his chest. "How did you do that?" he asked. Clark knew how, but it was evident when Jason sat up and tried to get away that he was afraid. "Hey," Clark said as he sat up and held his son close. "You didn't do anything wrong just now."

"I hurt a man on the boat because he was going to hurt mommy, and the other ones were really mad at me too," Jason said feeling safe in his father's arms.

Clark had heard this from Lois but had promised himself not to bring it up unless Jason did. "What you did kept mommy safe," Clark said as he lowered his head pressing a kiss on the top of Jason's.

"Daddy, do I have to be like you and save people when I get big?"

Until Jason had asked that question, Clark had never thought there would be anything different for his son. He expected until now for Jason to one day save people just as he did. "No Jason, if you decide not to help people then you don't have too."

"You won't be mad at me?" Jason felt his daddy hold him closer and he felt all of his worries go away in that one moment.

"I could never find it in me to be angry if you decided to do something different." Realizing that it was almost 1pm, and that both he and Jason had not changed out of their sleep wear, Clark stood up taking Jason with him and carried his son to his room to get him dressed.

* * *

Despite the gloom of the day, as Lois approached the door of Clark's house she thought she heard laughing. She tried the front door and when it opened she stepped inside and found a site that she couldn't help but laugh at. Jason was wearing jeans and a red sweater and his favorite western boots, the ones he had gotten from Martha and Ben in Montana. He was seated on Clark's back holding the collar of his dad's shirt as he was galloped around the room. When Clark turned toward her and Jason saw her he climbed off of his daddy's back and ran toward her. Lois dropped her purse and managed to get on her knees as Jason ran into her arms.

"Mommy, daddy was a bear and then I knocked him down and he said I don't have to be Superman and Lucky licked my face and she bit daddy's feet to protect me and…"

Lois listened to every word Jason told her trying to keep up as Clark walked out of their son's room with Jason's bag in one hand and the squirming Lucky in the other. "If you want me too, I can fly her home," Clark offered. Lucky was a sweet puppy but she hated the car and howled most of the way to any place if given the chance.

"I want to go too." Jason said as he let go of his mommy. His daddy knelt down and Jason already knew the answer. He turned around to face Lois again. "May we go get pizza at Ducky Bills?" He half thought she would say no but when she did agree, Jason was ecstatic. After giving his daddy one last kiss, Jason went with his mommy to the car.

After watching them leave, Clark looked at Lucky who was still squirming in his arms and walked back inside the house. He put the dog down and a second later after he put on his other suit, Superman picked the dog back up and headed for Lois's house.

* * *

It was just getting dark outside when Lois arrived at the house. In the back of the car Jason held the bear he had won out of one of those coin operated machines, as he slept. He was in a much better mood, and as Lois shut off the car she was happy for that. Before she got Jason, Lois went to the back door of the house and got it open, and as she turned around she found Superman standing in front of her. "You could give a little warning," she said, but she wasn't angry. Last night she told him they should slow down, but now she really wasn't sure what they should do. Lois stood at the door as she watched him lift their son and his new bear out of the car, and after he walked inside of the house she followed him upstairs. Just outside of Jason's room, Lois heard the quiet whispered voice of her son, and then Superman. It seemed Jason had either accepted the impending move or forgotten about it during his time with his father.

After tucking Jason in and promising more flying once the weather outside improved, Superman walked out of his son's room and found Lois waiting for him. "I just wanted to see him before he went to bed," he said remembering what she had told him last night. He saw her shake her head and a moment later she walked up to him and reached her arms up standing on her tiptoes as she pulled his head down. Realizing what she wanted, Superman lowered his head and their lips met in a gentle searching kiss. A moment later, when they parted, he looked in her eyes and saw the pain hidden behind them. "Maybe its time to move forward," he said softly, mindful of their child asleep just a few feet away in his room.

As much as she hated to admit it, Lois Lane, the tough as nails reporter for the Daily Planet was afraid of moving forward. She loved Superman as much as she had years ago when they first met, and now that she was aware of what they had once shared, Lois wanted that back, but then she was also afraid of how jealous she would be when she would wake up at night and find his side of the bed empty. "I want," she began but she shook her head and shut her eyes. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, and then she opened her eyes. "What I want is to stop being afraid and I don't know why I am," she admitted.

Superman reached out with his left hand and placed it on her right cheek. "We need to do this together Lois. I will find a way to do my job helping other people, but I won't let it get in the way of my commitment to Jason, or to you," he said resolved to do that. He wasn't sure how he would balance that and as he leaned in to kiss her again his super hearing picked up far away cries.

For a moment he hesitated and as he kissed her for a fleeting moment Lois wondered if she should encourage him to go, but then as he deepened the kiss and as his arms wrapped around her waist, any thoughts of pushing him away left her.

* * *

After sharing some needed time alone with Lois, Superman flew over a small city in the Midwest and honed in on the trouble. He saw two cars speeding along an empty stretch of road and further ahead he saw a huge semi truck speeding toward them without realizing the danger. Superman swooped down in back of the cars and caught them by their back ends. The cars stopped and he lifted them into the air one held in each hand and then he flew them off the road as the truck zoomed past them.

The people in the cars were young boys and when they saw him they tried to get away but in speeds faster than they could even think they found themselves tied up and on their way to the local law enforcement. As he tended to the young boys, he wondered if Jason would ever have such wild whims, and hoped that he and Lois could raise him to respect law, and to do what was right.

* * *

**AN**. As you can see I'm back, and ready to get this story back on track. I found out from sourses that Bruce and Clark don't always see eye to eye which is why the story went the way it did. Also I don't know all that much about Kryptonian law except that they did have a utopian like society before the sun went Supernova, so I kind of made up stuff about what Superman might have heard from his father onthe crystals. lastly thanks to all those who have read and reviewed this, I hope you like this latest chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: In the Blink of an Eye**

The next few weeks that passed by were both busy and stressful for Lois. The house wasn't selling like she had hoped it would, but her realtor assured her that it was just due to the cold whether outside and that once things warmed up people would be more likely to come out and see it. Aside from the stress of trying to sell the house, Lois was dealing with a distraught child. Lucky had gone from being a sweet quite puppy to a playful puppy who wanted to chew up everything. Since she was trying to sell the house, Lois knew the puppy couldn't stay, so she talked it over with Clark, and he took Lucky to live with him for the time being.

For Jason life had gone from bad to worse. Not only was his other daddy still in China, but now his puppy was gone, and it hurt. Everyone in his life was busy these days, and all Jason wanted was for things to go back the way they had been when his daddy lived at home. At school Rebecca had even abandoned him, because she was more interested in doing girl stuff, and he knew he couldn't be mad at her for that, but it just added to the hurt he was already feeling.

* * *

One night after dinner with his mom, and while she was cleaning the dishes, Jason went into the Living room and grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle. The little boy walked into the kitchen and stood behind his mommy. "Mommy, can we call my daddy, my daddy in China?" Jason asked looking at her expectantly as she turned around to face him.

Lois had noticed how quiet Jason had been over the past few days and as she looked into his blue eyes she saw hope there. "I think maybe I can arrange that," she said as she knelt down taking the phone from his small hands. She dialed in a code she used for making that call and then the international number. The phone began to ring and after only two Richard was on the other end. "Hey, I hope I didn't disturb you," she said realizing as he began to talk how good it was to hear his voice. When he was ready, she passed the phone to Jason and smiled as her little boy began to jabber away.

As he talked to his daddy, Jason carried the phone with him up to his room and after he got the door shut he got straight to the point of his call. "Daddy I want to come and live with you in China," he said.

The last time they had talked, Lois told him how much Jason missed him but now Richard could hear the hurt in his small voice and it made him feel guilty. "I don't know pal, they have some pretty strange foods around here, and they don't have all the shows you like on TV," he tried.

"I could learn to like the food there," Jason said as he swiped at a tear that was threatening to slide down his cheek. "I got a doggy for Christmas and my daddy took her to live with him because she chewed up one of the good quilts mommy had, and she didn't mean too but it made Mommy mad, and I want to live with you why can't I live with you?" he asked as he began to cry.

All Richard wanted to do at that point was to get the earliest flight out of China, and go hold his little boy. He had agreed with Lois and Clark that what was best for Jason initially was letting him adjust to having Clark around, but now he wasn't so sure. "Shh, hey little guy, don't cry," he said as he shut his eyes.

Jason wasn't aware of his mother's presence until she was holding him in her arms, and he didn't protest as she took the phone out of his trembling hand. He wrapped his arms around her waste wishing more than ever that they could go to China and live there, all three of them and Lucky too.

* * *

After getting Jason put to bed, Lois phoned Richard as she had promised, and they had an argument. "Richard, it's just this whole move thing that has him so upset," she said, though she knew that the move was only a small part to a larger problem.

"Lois, I thought leaving was what was best just like you did, but now I'm not so sure, he sounds miserable, and if moving back helps him then it does," he said as he sat down on his bed. It was early morning and already he felt tired.

Having Richard come back home would only serve to confuse her more, and she felt a headache coming on. She knew that maybe he had a point, that maybe if Jason could spend time with him as well as Clark he would adjust better, but she was afraid of his return and what that would do to her feelings. As she thought along those lines she felt guilty, because she knew as a mother she had to think of her son first, and lately she had not been doing that. "Look it's been a long day for me and Jason, I'll call you later," she said. They said their goodbyes and as she hung up the phone she hung her head trying to remember a time when life actually made some sort of sense.

* * *

As the world slept, Superman hovered in space with his eyes shut. Space was a quiet place, but he had his hearing tuned to the planet, and could hear everything. When he had first started getting his powers, controlling his hearing had been next to impossible, and he remembered well getting headaches from all of the voices. Now, after years of practice, he could control whether or not he wanted to hear it all or just one singular voice, or he could do both. As he listened to the world he heard a low rumble among the billions of voices in his head. He pushed the voices aside and focused on the rumble and heard it getting louder. Superman opened his eyes and flew around the world over China as the screams began. He shot down to the earth so fast that a double Sonic Boom sounded in his wake.

* * *

Seated in his office at The Daily Planet located in the middle of the business district in Shanghai, Richard had just started typing up a report, though his mind was on Jason and his son's cries. He knew Lois was afraid of his return, not merely for Jason, but also for herself and he didn't want to cause her pain, but he wasn't sure what else he could do. As he got into his story, he heard something rattle. He looked to his right at the picture taken of all three of them at the lake house in Maine, and then all at once everything was moving, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. The glass behind him broke and Richard ran for the door getting in the frame as he covered his head with his hands. Suddenly he was falling, and everything got very loud, and then it was dark and his body hurt all over. The screams and rumbling, and breaking glass just stopped, and Richard White realized that he was dying. As he tried to breathe and to see, he thought of Lois and Jason, and willed his body to calm itself. Suddenly the dark turned to light and as he looked up he saw the face of a man who had come to take his place in their lives.

Superman looked at Richard and knew the man was dying. The lower half of his body was pinned beneath tons of rubble and steel, and as he x-rayed Richard, Superman knew that as soon as he moved the rubble away Richard would bleed to death. "Don't try to talk," he said as he tried to figure out the best way to get the man out of this mess. He had a lot of work to do, but Richard was his priority right now. As much as Superman envied this man for having five years of Jason's life, he knew that his son still needed him.

"I can't," Richard said as he coughed and spit up blood in the process. "You tell Jason that I love him and that I'm sorry I hurt him," he finally said. The Man of Steel moved fast and Richard cried out as his body was freed from the rubble. His breathing was labored as Superman tried to help him, and Richard tried to cling to life but suddenly all of the pain he was feeling was lifted away. "You tell him for me," Richard sputtered and then with one last labored breath of air he was gone

As he held Richard in his arms, flying him out of the disaster, Superman felt guilt for everything. Richard had asked him to tell Jason he was sorry for causing him pain, when it was his own fault for that. He knew in his heart he should never have gone to his son's room that night that if he wouldn't have and just stayed away, Richard would be alive and his little boy would grow up happy and confident. After he flew Richard's body back to Metropolis, and asking the hospital to contact Perry White, he flew back to China to help with the clean up efforts.

* * *

The usual morning rush was on in the Lane house. Jason was stalling getting dressed, and Lois was trying to coax him into doing so without getting mad at him. She knew he wasn't happy with school, but she also had things to do after he was dropped off. "Jason, you don't have too long before fall break," she tried as he continued to remain under the desk in her room.

"I miss daddy," he said hugging Ollie to his chest. Ollie was a fuzzy brown possum, his oldest and very best pal, and someone Jason loved more than anyone else, especially now that his dog was at his daddy's house.

Lois shut her eyes and took in a few breaths. "I know baby, but he would want you to be happy, and to listen to me," she said out of tactics to draw him out. She finally did manage to get him dressed, and after putting his cereal into a plastic zip lock bag, the two of them headed on their way to his school.

* * *

It was not habit for Lois to listen to the radio as she drove her car, mostly because Jason always complained when she did, due to his need to watch his DVD movies. After she dropped him off at school, the young mother thought about her conversation with her Ex Fiancé and wondered if Richard coming back to be a part of Jason's life was what their little boy needed.

At the planet, Lois parked in the top level of the parking structure, unaware of the disaster that had occurred in China. As she approached the entry of the building she saw Clark waiting for her. He had on a brown suit, and looked handsome as ever. "Morning Clark," she said as she started past him but she stopped when he reached out and gently took her arm.

"Lois we need to talk in private at your house," he said in a serious tone.

As she looked at his face, really looked, Lois could tell something wasn't right. "Lighten up Kent, it can't be that bad," she said hoping to get her partner to at least smile. She could tell he was serious and dug her keys from her purse.

Once they were on their way, Clark instructed her to drive home, not saying anything on the drive and that frightened her. As she drove, Lois thought of Lucky and then decided nothing could be wrong with her, if something had happened to the dog they would still be able to work. When she got to the house she was agitated and as she turned off the engine and he went to open the door she stopped him. "No, I want to know why I had to come home, and I want to know now."

There was no easy way to tell her about Richard, and as he started to speak her saw her eyes grow very big, and then she was out of the car running toward house. Clark waited only a moment before getting out of the car to go after her. "Lois," he said as she spun around to face him.

"No, don't you dare say it," she said as tears threatened to fall. Somehow she knew why he had asked her to come back home, and she was angry and hurt all at once. "Don't even think about saying it, he's always been able to take care of himself, better than you. He's always been dependable and I won't listen," she all but shouted as she went inside.

Clark knew this would be the most difficult thing he had ever done, and he braced himself as he followed her down the four stairs to the living room. "Lois," he tried again, but she avoided him as she passed him to go upstairs. In one quick move, Clark was at her side and held her still facing him. "Lois I'm sorry but he's gone," he said.

His words cut into her like a dull knife being stabbed into her chest, and Lois shut her eyes and shook her head. "No, no," she said as a sob caught in her throat. Lois pushed away from him for a moment before she turned to look at Clark. "How did it happen and why didn't you save him," she said feeling angry again.

Somehow he managed to get her downstairs and seated on the sofa, and then he told her about the quake in Shanghai. "It happened so fast Lois, faster than I could get to them. I sought Richard out first, but when I got to him he was buried beneath a ton of rubble," he said knowing that he had to tell her the truth, because that was what she expected.

Hearing the details of Richard's death pained her more than anything else, but Lois wanted, and needed to know. She realized as Clark relayed to her the events that had unfolded in China that it hurt him too, and when he finished she stood up. She walked over to the double bay doors and looked out at the dock where Richard's plane once sat, and then she balled up her fist and punched the glass breaking it and in the process cutting her hand right open. "DAMN HIM, DAMN YOU," she yelled before she dropped to her knees and began crying.

Clark went to her then, and despite her protests he stood her up and then lifted her into his arms cradling her against his chest as she cried soul wrenching cries. His tears fell silently down his face as he got her to the kitchen, and once he was there he put her back on her feet but held her as he got the water in the sink turned on. While she held on to him with one arm, he put her injured hand under the water and tended to it. The cut wasn't deep amazingly enough, and after he cleaned it, and put a band aid over the worst part he led her back to the couch and sat down holding her as she continued to cry.

Eventually the pain she was feeling dulled, and Lois finally pulled herself together enough to sit up and look at Clark. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said as he reached out and wiped away her tears.

"How do we tell Jason that his daddy is dead?" she asked as a fresh set of tears began to course their way down her cheeks. When he reached for her, Lois went willingly into his arms. Her heart still hurt, even with his arms around her, and she had no idea how to tell her five year old son that his other daddy was gone.

* * *

At school Jason was blissfully unaware of the tragedy awaiting him when he arrived home. Today when he arrived in his class there was a new boy introduced named Simon, who had moved to Metropolis from California. At constructive play, Jason was the first boy to go and talk to Simon and soon the two of them were having a grand time. When play was over and they sat down at their desks, Mrs. Davies put Simon next to Jason and while they were supposed to be listening to the story during reading hour, the two boys told jokes and had a grand time.

When School let out, and Jason waited in the carpool line, Simon stood with him. "What does your mommy and daddy do?" he asked his new friend.

"My daddy works at the loading docks and my mommy is an attorney," the little red headed boy said to his new friend. "What do your parents do?"

"I have two daddies. My old daddy lives in China now because my new daddy came back and he thought it would be too hard for me having both of them around but it's harder this way," Jason said, and then he saw his Aunt Lucy's car as well as Mrs. Garret approaching him. "I'll see you tomorrow," Jason said and hurried with is teacher to his Aunt's car. As soon as they were on their way, Jason asked her where his mommy was.

Lucy had been informed of Lois's loss by Jimmy, and had called her sister offering to pick up the munchkin. "Oh home, she wasn't feeling all that well," Lucy said, not sure of how else to put it. Jason seemed satisfied with her answer and she was relieved. On the drive to the house, Lucy laughed at her nephew's jokes, and the two of them sang along with the Disney Songs she had on a CD she used when he was with her. Lucy wasn't rich enough to afford a car with a DVD player but Jason had never seemed to mind that. By the time she got him home both of them were laughing and carrying on.

"Aunt Lucy, do you want to come inside and play a game with me?" Jason asked.

Lucy felt bad, but she really didn't want to be around while her nephew found out about Richard, and she sighed. "Sorry kid, but I have work in a little bit at the restaurant, but I'll try and come by later," she said. He got out of his seat and managed to climb in the front. When he gave her a kiss, Lucy felt even worse. As she pulled away he waved at her, and Lucy decided to go to the toy store and buy him something nice, to make up for what he was about to go through.

* * *

As his small hands opened the front door, Jason was greeted by his daddy. "Hi daddy," he said in a cheerful tone. When his daddy knelt down, Jason gave him a big hug and kiss. "How is my Lucky girl?" he asked as they parted.

"She is doing very well but she misses you," Clark said. Again as with Lois, he wasn't required to stutter or mess up on his wording, Jason knew who he was and there was no need for disguise. "Why don't you head upstairs and get changed out of your good cloths, and then come down to the kitchen." He watched his son as he ran up stairs, and once Jason was occupied, Clark went back to the Kitchen where Lois was sitting at the table holding a cup of tea with both of her hands.

When he walked in, Lois looked at the man she loved, or thought she loved and shut her eyes. "How do I tell him this, how do I break his heart?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Again she found herself in his arms and even though she was hurt and confused about where her love should be, she could not bring herself to pull away from him.

"We will tell him together," Clark said as he placed a kiss on top of her head.

By the time Jason arrived downstairs they had moved from the kitchen to the living room, and when Lois asked him to come sit between them Jason did as he was told. "Jason, I have something to tell you that won't be easy for you to hear," Lois began and already felt a lump forming in her throat. She saw her baby's innocent blue eyes gazing at her and had to shut her own eyes.

"Mommy are you sad?" Jason asked suddenly just a little afraid. Without anyone telling him, and on his own, Jason climbed on her lap and hugged her pressing his face against her chest as he heard her take a deep breath. "Don't be sad mommy, it will be okay now," he said repeating the words she had told him time and again when he had been sad.

Lois fought not to cry as he hugged her, but as it was she couldn't find the words to tell him what he needed to know. She felt Clark's hands gently lift Jason away from her, and when Jason was off of her lap she got up and walked outside feeling worthless. It should not have happened. Richard should be here now, and he wasn't because of her uncertainties.

Inside Jason sat on his dad's lap confused. "Is mommy okay, is she mad at me?" he asked as he watched her outside.

Clark held his little boy secure in his arms and knew that Lois didn't have the strength to tell him. "She will be better soon. Jason," he said as he turned Jason on his lap so they could look at one another. Peering into his son's eyes, Clark could see the fear there and he so wanted to back time up to save Richard White from that fate. "Your daddy was in an earthquake in China, one that took his life away," he said watching as his little boy took in that news.

Jason furrowed his little brows trying to figure out what he was saying. "Is daddy hurt, maybe we need to go and get him and make him better like when you were hurt," he said not understanding.

Even though he was the strongest man in the world, Clark was having a hard time trying to find a way to tell his son that the daddy he had always known and loved would no longer be in his life. "Your daddy was hurt very bad Jason, and his injuries were so bad that he died from them," he said.

"But we can go see him like when you were in the hospital, because if we go and tell him we love him he will get better like you did," Jason said. The little boy suddenly realizing what he was being told. He remembered the time Rebecca's cat died, and how her mommy said that they would never see her again, and right now he wanted to see his daddy more than anything else.

Clark reached out and moved a strand of dark hair out of Jason's eyes. "We can't see him pal, he is gone," he said as Jason pursed his lips.

"No he's not, don't say that he's not gone," Jason balled up his fists and hit his daddy on the chest as hard as he could. When his daddy held him close, Jason fought with all he had. "LET ME GO. LET ME GO," he screamed as his mommy came back inside. In a moment he was being held by both of his parents and Jason cried harder than he ever had. His heart hurt worse than it ever had before and he wanted to stop crying but he could not.

Jason was still on Clark's lap and Lois hugged both of them letting her own tears fall silently as her son cried. Almost a half hour later Jason's cries subsided and even though he had fallen asleep, he held tight around his daddy's waist.

Lois left her two guys briefly and came back with a warm washcloth as Clark eased Jason's arms from around his middle. Jason remained asleep as his mom wiped his face, and once that task was done, Clark turned to his left and gently laid Jason down on the sofa. As he stood up he watched as Lois draped a blanket over him, and when she turned around he drew her back into his arms. "What do you need for me to do?" he asked knowing that she might want time alone.

He always thought of others before he thought of himself, and it was that quality in him, one of many, that had drawn Lois to him all those years ago. "I don't know, I thought maybe I wanted to be alone but I feel like I'm dying. I don't regret what he and I shared but, well I don't know anymore," she admitted. She felt his lips on the top of her head, and didn't mind that kiss, or the fact that he had been the one to hold her when she found out about Richard. Lois didn't know what would happen now but she prayed that somehow she wouldn't have to be without him, that somehow they could find a way to work things out.

* * *

Something woke Jason from his slumber and as he opened his eyes he found that he was in his bed in his room. As he sat up he remembered the bad dream he had, and after grabbing Ollie Possum, he slid out of bed realizing that he was in his warm fuzzy blue feety PJs with the yellow stars printed on the soft fabric. Those pajamas were his favorites because they were so soft. Jason walked downstairs and found only his daddy in the kitchen. "Daddy I had a bad dream," Jason said as he walked through the living room past the sofa, and then the table until he reached where Clark was standing.

Clark knelt down and hugged Jason close. "What did you dream?" he asked as he placed a kiss on Jason's left cheek. He heard Jason sniff and held him closer as he softly cried. Clark rocked him and rubbed his back until his cries subsided, and then he stood up and carried his son over to the sofa where he sat down cradling Jason in his arms so that they could see one another.

"Can you fly me to heaven so I can go see daddy?" He asked softly. Jason watched his father's face and knew the answer before he said it.

"If I could do that I would, but heaven is a place that even I can't reach," he said as he kissed Jason's nose getting a smile before Jason's next question arrived.

"How come you can't go there?" Jason knew about that sort of thing because a few times in his life he had been to church with his Nanna and The General and the man in the robes who yelled a lot said that good people went there, and Jason knew for a fact that his daddy was a very good person.

Clark's mom had been a very devout church goer and as a child he attended Sunday service with her. But as an adult, and now that he knew of his Kryptonian heritage, he still had belief in a higher power, though sometimes he wondered where he fit in. "We are still alive, and we haven't finished with our lives yet, when we die we will go and see him, but that will be a long time from now. Jason's face drooped and he sniffed again.

"My daddy wasn't done with his life yet," he said and he began to cry again. Soon he found himself resting against his father's chest, with his left ear against his heart. Jason was still sleepy, but fought to stay awake. "Daddy will you teach me to fly?" he asked as his tired eyes finally shut.

Clark could only smile at his little boy's request. He didn't know what abilities Jason would inherit from him, but if one day Jason could fly then he would teach him that and so much more.

* * *

**AN:** I ask that you not kill me for taking this route with Richard, and I have noticed a lot of fics out that have gone this way, but if you read any of my other works mostly mummy related you will realize that My Muse likes the dark and sad aspects of life, probably because I had a loss early in my life, so anyway its done and I hope you guys will forgive me and still want to read this.

Also I need a Beta Reader, a few reviewers have caught some mistakes here and there and as one person it is hard to try and find them all. Anyone wanting that job just send me a message. Thanks.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Saying Goodbye**

The sun was just beginning to rise when Clark Kent laid his five year old son down in his bed. Jason had slept fitfully all night due to nightmares about his time on 'The Gertrude', which were of his drowning in the water with his parents. As Clark pulled the covers over his little boy, Jason's eyes fluttered open. Lightly, Clark knelt down next to Jason's bed, leaning over to place a kiss on his left cheek.

"I'm afraid," he whispered, looking up at his daddy's face. Jason was so tired that his eyelids were already beginning to droop, but he still defied the realm of sleep, too afraid to be far away from either of his parents.

Seeing Jason in such pain was hard for Clark. His little boy had been through too much already, and all he wanted to do was take both Jason and Lois away and keep them safe from the world's ugly side. "You don't have anything to be afraid of," he said as he began to stroke his fingers through Jason's hair.

Jason yawned and rubbed his eyes. "If I get afraid, you will come, won't you?" he asked, knowing that his daddy would.

"Yes I will, now close your eyes and get some rest."

As he started to do what he was told, Jason suddenly thought of his puppy. "I want Lucky, daddy," he said.

"I will go get her when your mommy wakes up," he said as Jason's eyes finally slipped closed. Once he was sure Jason would remain asleep, Clark left his room, closing the door just enough to let in the light from the hallway. As he started down the stairs he heard Lois come out of her room, even though there wasn't any real noise. "I thought I would fix us some breakfast," he said as she walked over to him. She had dark circles under her eyes and he could tell that she was still emotionally drained.

The thought of any sort of food made Lois sick to her stomach. "I can't eat. How is Jason?" She asked as she looked over at his door.

"Worn out. He woke up a lot last night due to dreams about being on that yacht," said Clark. The two of them walked silently down the stairs, and while Clark went to the kitchen to make Lois some freshly squeezed orange juice, the woman he loved walked over to the newly repaired window and peered outside.

It was turning into a dreary, snowy, cold day and the weather outside seemed to match the mood in the house. As she looked outside, Lois shut her eyes trying to remember a time when her life didn't feel like it was crashing down on her, and then she felt his strong hand on her right shoulder. "Did I tell you how we ended up here?" Lois asked as she opened her eyes while turning around to face Clark. He had on a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt, and his glasses were gone. Seeing him like this somehow brought comfort to her jumbled thoughts, and Lois wondered if she should tell him about how she and Richard got the house.

After handing her the small glass of orange juice, Clark took her free hand in his own and led her over to the sofa. They sat down together, and when he wrapped his arm around her she leaned against him. "No, tell me now," he said, not bothered by her need to talk about Richard. He felt he owed her that much for not making it in time to save him, and really he needed to be here for her, to try and help her if he could.

Lois took a sip of her juice and then leaned forward, putting the glass down on the coffee table in front of them. "It wasn't long after I found out I was going to have Jason. Richard took me to the airport because he said he had a surprise for me. When we arrived he blind-folded me and…"

* * *

_Even though she couldn't see anything, Lois trusted the man holding her right hand in his left. They had been walking in the cool night air for what felt like an eternity when he stopped. When he took the blindfold off, Lois found herself looking at a sea plane. She couldn't help but smile because Richard was full of surprises. "When did you get this?" she asked as she turned to face him. _

_Richard grinned at her, liking the fact that he could surprise a woman like Lois. "I've had it for oh, 3 years now. Do you want to go up?" he asked and when she nodded her head he led her to the plane. _

* * *

"After that we went flying every weekend, and one day we were flying over the bay when I saw this house. I guess I got really quiet because he asked me what I was thinking about and I told him how nice it would be to raise my baby in a quiet place like that." As she thought about that time, Lois managed to push the sadness aside.

* * *

_They had just finished having dinner at a small Italian restaurant not far from the Planet, and when they got into the taxi, Richard told the driver to take them to 312 Riverside Dr._

_Lois looked at her boyfriend with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Where are you taking me now?" she asked as she leaned into his comforting arms. Richard wouldn't tell her, which just made her that much more curious to know. As the Taxi drove down a long stretch of narrow road, Lois wondered what Richard was up too, and then it stopped in front of a house with a For Sale sign. However, the house had already been sold._

_After getting out of the taxi and paying the driver to wait for them, Richard helped his love out of the car. "Well what do you think?" he asked. _

_Now Lois was confused, and gave her best friend a funny look. "What do I think about what? This house is sold," she said. Lois then took a really good look at the house, and turned around to face Richard. "What did you do, Richard White?" she asked, incredulously, hardly believing what her mind was pointing out to be the obvious. _

"_You said you wanted a nice place to raise your baby, and um, it does have a great view of the city, plus I can park my plane right out front," he said hoping that she wouldn't blow her top. One thing he had learned in the two months of dating Lois was that her temper came quick. _

_For a few moments Lois was angry, and then she shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? If you go out and get everything I wish for, you will be poor and without a place to live," she said. _

* * *

"After that, he promised me that he'd ask before he did anything that big again," she said.

From her story, Clark was beginning to see the kind of man Richard had been, and couldn't remember meeting any human that had such a big heart. "I'm glad you had him to turn to Lois," he said honestly. He felt her shuddered sigh and held her just a bit closer.

"I feel lucky that I had him, but also sad. I knew that you wouldn't stay gone forever, and I know I have told you that before, but what he offered me and Jason was security and a real family, and it was too good for me to pass up," she said softly as she shut her eyes.

* * *

By lunch the house was full of people. Alice White, Perry's wife, had brought a large serving of fried chicken she had made herself, with all the fixings to go with it. Along with Alice, Lois's parents had also arrived, and for once The General was doing his best to support his daughter in her loss.

As lunch was coming together, and everyone started to sit down, Lois noticed that her little boy wasn't there. She looked at Clark who also seemed to realize that it had been a while since they had seen Jason. He stood still for a moment and then he turned around and hurried to the back of the house. Lois knew Clark would find Jason, but as fast as he was trying to leave, she also knew that her little boy was in some sort of trouble.

* * *

With all of the people at his house, Jason knew he should have felt safe there, but when he saw his Aunt Alice crying as his mom hugged her, the little boy realized he couldn't stay there. Jason had gotten Lucky into her collar and leash and had pulled on his really warm winter jacket. After he slipped on his red snow boots over his pajama clad feet, he left the house letting Lucky go where she wanted.

The two of them had wandered further away from the house than Jason was allowed to go, and he had even crossed the highway that led into the city. He was having fun letting Lucky lead the way and hadn't really noticed how far away from home he was getting. Jason kept on walking, following Lucky's trail, trying to forget about the pain clamping around his small heart.

Jason and his puppy wandered into an overgrown field and even though it was very cold and the snow crunched under his feet, the weeds there obstructed his view. From somewhere not far away Jason thought he could hear some sort of motor, like a bike, but he didn't pay it much mind as Lucky tugged him to the left. What Jason didn't see was someone on a snow mobile, and just as he didn't see them, the two teenage boys riding it didn't see that they were getting very close to him.

* * *

Rodney Adams and his little brother James had gotten the snowmobile for Christmas and the two young brothers had enjoyed going through the field even though their father had instructed them to ride where they could see what was in front of them. Rodney pushed the vehicle to its limits and as they went over a large rise both of them saw the little boy. Rodney tried to veer away but it was too late. Just when he thought he was going to hit the boy, the snowmobile rose from the ground.

"It's Superman," James called out as they were put down on the ground not far from where the little boy was standing.

Superman wanted to hold his son in his arms but he needed to make sure the other two boys were all right first. "Riding in these overgrown fields can be dangerous," he said to both boys who looked suddenly afraid.

"Our dad told us not too come out here, you won't tell him will you?"

As the older boy spoke those words, Superman thought of his own son and the rules. "No, as long as you promise to go straight home," he said. Both boys agreed to do that and after they road away, Superman turned around to face his little boy who suddenly looked very frightened.

"Are you mad at me?" Jason asked as his daddy knelt down so that they could see one another face to face.

For the first time since learning he was a father, Superman did feel anger, and also concern that his little boy would wander away so far from home. "I am more worried about why you would do something so dangerous, Jason," he said gently. This was his first time having to be the one to address something Jason did that wasn't right.

"I saw Aunt Alice crying, and I had to get away," he said as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Superman lifted Lucky up and once she was in Jason's arms he cradled his son against his chest, pulling his cape around them as he lifted off the ground. When he got closer to the house, and was sure no one could see them, he put Jason down and spun into his jeans and the sweatshirt he had been wearing before he left to get Jason. Once he was dressed he held out his hand and his little boy took it willingly. "Jason, if you ever feel upset or afraid, and you need to get away, you come and find me and I will take you someplace where it will be just the two of us," he said as they walked down the lane leading to the house.

When they arrived, Lois was waiting for them. Clark had been gone for less than five minutes, and in a moment Jason was in his mommy's arms.

"Where were you?" Lois asked in a stern frightened tone, as she held her son at arms length finding that he was unharmed. She watched as Jason looked at his daddy and could tell he was afraid to tell her. "Jason, please tell me the truth," she said gently. As he did she had to hold back her temper, and realized that seeing his aunt cry had truly frightened him. Lois realized too that he likely never would have done that under normal circumstances, but she also knew she still had to punish him. "I'm proud of you for telling me the truth, but you will be grounded to your room for a few hours. I will bring your food up to you," she said as she stood up and took his small hand.

* * *

It was near 9am before the house was finally empty, and finding it so was a little unsettling for Lois. Superman was needed, and she thought she would find relief in having him gone as well, but now as she sat in her room, Lois found herself wanting him with her. Jason was asleep just behind her with Lucky snuggled up beside him. He had cried when his daddy had to go, which made it hard for Superman to leave him. Lois had assured The Man of Steel that their son would be alright, and soon after, he left to go help a family in trouble. Eventually, Jason did stop crying.

Before every one left, and while her parents were cleaning the kitchen and Jimmy played upstairs with Jason, Lois sat with Alice and Perry talking about funeral arrangements. Both of Richard's parents were gone, and as next of kin it was up to them to figure out what to do. They had both decided that she needed to be a part of the decisions, but Lois was having a hard time with that. She and Richard talked about what they both wanted if they should die, and he told her that if his time came before her own, he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered out over the ocean. In the end that was what she agreed to, what they all agreed to, and now that it was settled, Lois felt more alone than she had in all of her life. Jason's sudden cry drew her out of her thoughts, and Lois settled in bed behind him gathering him in her arms. "Shh," she whispered as she kissed his soft cheeks.

"Daddy won't take me to heaven," Jason mumbled, only half awake.

Lois was startled by what he was saying but kept calm, "Shh." Jason turned over as Lucky tried to find a new spot to sleep and his sad blue eyes fell on her face.

"Daddy said that he can't reach heaven, because he said that we can only go there when we are done living," as he finished saying that he began to cry. "I want him to take me there, he could if he really wanted to," Jason said as he was gathered into his mother's loving embrace. He tried not to let the sadness make him cry, but it didn't work out the way he wanted.

Lois held Jason in her arms letting her own tears fall silently as his cries came in full force. Suddenly she felt Jason pulling away from her, and as he sat up he tried catching his breath.

"Da...Daddy I need you now," Jason managed as he continued to cry. He let his mommy help him with his inhaler but when his breath wouldn't come he cried harder.

Lois knew instantly that Jason needed to calm down and also realized that he needed his nebulizer. As she held him in her arms she tried to remember where it was, and then in an instant Superman was there. "Jason, he's here munchkin," Lois said as Superman made it to their side in two steps. He knelt down and in a moment Jason was in his arms, but he was still in need of the nebulizer.

Superman sat down on the floor holding Jason cradled in his arms. "Shh, I won't leave you again," he said as Jason gasped for breath while still crying. Lois returned to him and with her help he got the oxygen mask over Jason's mouth and nose. A moment later he heard a hum, and the mask clouded up with a fine mist. Jason's small hands wrapped around a small canister hooked to the bottom of the mask and he began to take in deep steady breaths. As his breathing returned to normal his tired eyes shut, but Superman wasn't ready to put him back in bed.

Lois stood behind the man she had shared a love with so long ago, and as the treatment finished she turned of the machine and pulled the plug. Carefully she reached over Superman's right shoulder, and removed the mask from Jason's face.

"Is this what he goes through?" He said realizing now what Lois and Richard had likely been through a thousand times before.

She could hear the concern in his voice as she put the nebulizer in her dresser drawer, and after it was put away she walked to him and sat down in front of him. "Not always. I guess if I had to count I would say he's used it maybe 100 times over the past five years." Lois saw the sadness in Superman's eyes, and reached her hand out placing it over the one under Jason's back. "You are not at fault for this," she said not willing to let him take the blame for Jason's illnesses.

For a long time Superman couldn't find what he wanted to say. As he held Jason in his arms he wondered if there was something he could have done that would have prevented his son's fragile state. The only place he could find the answers was the Fortress of Solitude but now, thanks to Lex Luthor, that was lost to him. Suddenly he realized Lois was still sitting with him, and as he looked at her he felt guilty for not addressing her sooner. Slowly he levitated off of the floor a few feet, and then extended his legs. Jason shifted in his arms but remained asleep, and after a few moments, Superman leaned over the bed and put his son down. He smiled as Lucky got up from the end of the bed and snuggled up next to Jason and even gave the dog a gentle rub on her head before he turned around to face Lois.

"I'm sorry I sat there like that. I was just thinking that if Luthor would not have gotten the Crystals we might have been able to find answers to Jason's fragile state" he said as she stood up and came willingly into his arms.

"How does all of that work?" she asked interested in that aspect of his life. Thanks to his kiss she remembered everything including seeing the images of his parents. Both of them were relatively sure Jason would sleep for a while, so Lois took Superman's hand and led him downstairs.

Seated on the Sofa next to the woman he loved, Superman did his best to explain the crystals to her. "The structure of Krypton was based on the crystals," he said as she leaned against him. "When I found out what the Astronomers found, that they may have found the remains of Krypton I was able to construct a ship using the crystal technology. The fortress is the only piece of Krypton that I had," he said sadly.

As she heard the sad tone in his voice she gave a gentle squeeze to his hand. "Weren't you able to reconstruct the chamber that took your powers away, when you and I spent some time there?" she asked and felt him shift. Lois lifted her head away from his left side, and turned to look at him realizing that he had somehow forgotten that.

"That should still be there," he said. He thought about flying there and then decided against it. If Jason woke up again, he wanted to be there, and though he could travel faster than the speed of Light and sound, even a short amount of time away from Jason wasn't possible. "When things here settle down I will go back and try to find it." They talked for a while longer, and then Lois got up.

"I should get some rest," she said, though what she really wanted was to stay right where she was. Somehow being held in his arms made the pain she was feeling a little less.

Superman could tell she was uncomfortable being away from him, and when he offered to go upstairs and lie next to her in bed, she accepted his offer. Upstairs while she dressed he sat by his son watching him rest. Jason's breathing was normal, and for once he didn't seem plagued by the dreams that had worried him last night.

When Lois came out of the bathroom she had on a pair of sweat pants and a large shirt. She settled in bed behind Jason pulling him against her so that his back was pressed against her chest with the back of his head resting just below her chin. When she was settled, Superman pulled off his boots and laid down in the bed behind Lois, holding her in the same manner she held their son. Long after she fell asleep, he remained awake feeling as though this was his place. He still felt guilt and remorse over Richard's death and knew that would take a long time for him to get over, but he also knew that the time was coming for him to commit to the two most important people in his

* * *

The day of the memorial arrived, and as everyone was ready to leave the house, Jason was missing again. Clark assured Lois he knew where to find him and told her he would bring Jason to the church his own way. After everyone left, he went upstairs to Lois's room and heard Jason's sniffling coming from under the bed. Clark was dressed in a dark suit, and knelt down on the left side of the bed. "Jason," he called out. He only had to wait a moment before his little boy crawled out, and once he was able to, Clark sat down and held Jason in his arms.

"I won't say goodbye," Jason whispered as his daddy gently rocked him.

"You don't have to say goodbye, Jason. Did you know that you can carry him in your heart?" He asked as he put his large hand over Jason's chest. His little boy looked up at him and Clark kissed his tears away.

"How do I do that?" He asked sniffing.

"You always keep him with you by remembering how much fun the two of you had, and if you want to, you can even talk to him. If you are sad about something or hurting, you can tell him how you feel," Clark said.

"Does God let him see me and hear me?"

His little boy needed assurances right now, and Clark figured any religious leader would get after him for what he was about to say, but he didn't care. "I think maybe he does." Knowing that they needed to be on their way, Clark stood up and carried Jason downstairs. When his son was dressed in his fine dress coat, Clark changed into Superman and after lifting Jason into his arms and wrapping his cape around him, The Man of Steel took off for the Sky.

* * *

When they arrived at the church, Superman landed in an alley close to the building and changed back into Clark Kent. After lifting Jason back into his arms, Clark walked over to the church where several people were already going inside. There were several people that he recognized from work and one of the first to come over and see him was Jimmy, who wore a sad expression on his face.

"Hi Mr. Kent, hey Jason," he said trying to sound cheerful to lighten the mood.

Jason sniffed and turned his head in toward his father's neck, and rested his cheek against his shoulder not wanting to talk to anyone at the present time.

Jimmy felt bad for his young friend and walked with Clark into the church telling him about what he had missed while he had been away helping Lois during her greatest time of need. Inside they found Lois who was relieved to see them, and Jimmy could tell that the family needed time alone.

Since leaving the house, Lois had worried that Jason might have run off again, and now seeing him in the strong arms of his father she felt a little better. Her heart was aching and she wished this day to be over, and then some part of her didn't. Today she would say good bye to a man she had loved for five years, and after today there was no turning back the hands of time. As Lois reached Clark's side she put her hand on Jason's back but he didn't acknowledge her, and she understood.

They had only a brief time to talk before it was time to begin, and as she started to lead the way into the church, she felt Clark's hand take her own, and again as she had been these past few days she was thankful for his steady strength.

As they entered the sanctuary, Clark immediately noticed Bruce Wayne, but didn't say anything to Lois as they walked to the front of the large room. They sat down with Lois's parents, as well as Alice and Perry. Jason stayed where he was with his face hidden against the right side of Clark's neck, holding on to his daddy as tight as he could.

The minister began the service with a prayer and then talked about Richard White. Beside him, Lois sat perfectly straight holding Clark's free hand in her own. Clark glanced at her a few times not seeing any tears on her face though he knew later on in the privacy of her own home she would likely mourn Richard in her own way.

The minister talked about the accomplishments of Richard's life and included Jason as his son, something Lois had discussed with Clark, and something he had agreed to allow happen. As the service continued along, other people who had known Richard were permitted to go up to the pulpit to deliver a testimonial about his life, and Lois was touched at how many people went up to talk about her former fiancé, and their words brought her comfort.

Resting safe in his father's arms, Jason also heard the words the people were saying, and when the minister asked if there was anyone else who wanted to say some words about Richard, Jason lifted his head and whispered in Clark's ear.

Next to Clark Lois was surprised when he stood up and watched as he carried their son to the pulpit, not sure what he was doing until Jason turned toward the people.

"I miss my daddy, and he was really good to me and mommy. He used to take me flying, and told me when I got big enough he would teach me how to fly in his plane. Now I have my new daddy here with me, and he told me that if I feel sad that I can talk to daddy and that even though he's with God he would hear me." Jason turned in his father's arms and hid face against Clark's neck as they returned to the seat.

After Jason spoke, there was not a dry eye in the church. Everyone was amazed by his courage to talk about his two daddies and when the service ended, Lois and Clark received many compliments on how brave and special their little boy was.

As the last of the crowd began to file out, Clark saw Bruce, and when he was face to face with the man he held out his free hand. Lois was talking to someone next to him but stopped when she realized he was there.

Not long after Superman left for Krypton, Perry had called asking if Richard could run an interview with Bruce involving the events following the near destruction of Gotham City by the League of Shadows. Bruce had been impressed by Richard's calm manner and until he arrived at the church, he had not made the connection with Clark Kent and Richard's Fiancé. Now Clark's visit made sense to him. He shook Clark's hand and then faced Lois. "I wanted to come here and tell you how sorry I am for your loss," he said, keeping his thoughts about what he was seeing to himself.

Lois knew there was tension between Bruce and Clark now more than ever but she addressed him properly thanking him for being here at the service. By the time the last person was gone, Jason had fallen asleep against Clark's shoulder, and by then Lois was ready to join her son. Richard's ashes had already been scattered over the ocean as had been planned earlier that morning, and as she walked out to the waiting stretch Limo, provided by the funeral home, Lois shut her eyes saying a silent goodbye to the man she had almost married.

* * *

At home, Clark went upstairs and managed to get Jason out of his dress cloths and into a pair of jeans as well as a soft sweatshirt without waking him. After laying Jason down in his bed and getting Lucky out of her crate he took her for a short walk before he brought her back to Jason and put her in bed, watching as the dog curled up with him. Everyone else was going to Alice and Perry's and no one had been upset or hurt when Lois decided not to join them. Clark found her outside still wearing her dress coat as she looked out over the water at the city across from them. He stood watching her for a moment until her heard her crying, and then he went outside and gently pulled her into his arms.

How many times she had cried for Richard, Lois had lost count. She was tired of feeling so sad, and she was tired of crying, but it couldn't be helped. After a few minutes she managed to pull herself together and as she pulled way from Clark she realized she had gotten his suit all wet. "I didn't mean to do that," she said feeling a little embarrassed.

"You don't need to worry about crying around me Lois, I want to be here for you and for Jason," he said as he reached out and wiped her tears away. While she went inside to change out of her dress, Clark flew high into the air, and in less than two minutes he was at his own house. He dressed in something comfortable, keeping his hearing tuned to both Lois and Jason and when he got back to the house on Riverside Dr; Lois had just arrived back downstairs.

As she had been dressing upstairs, Lois suddenly realized how out of place she felt. This house had been a part of her life with Richard and now that he was gone, being here felt like being in a place she had never been. When she arrived downstairs and found Clark entering the house in a pair of slacks and a button down top she didn't really think about how he had managed to change so fast. Her mind was racing, and she felt like she was suffocating.

Clark saw the panicked look in her eyes and when he walked to her she turned away from him. "Lois," he said gently.

"I can't stay here Clark, this house has too many reminders in it of Richard and yet I can't bear to let it go because it does hold Jason's past," she said hating that she was being so suddenly sentimental. When she felt his hands on her, turning her around, Lois didn't protest and when she was facing him, she looked into his beautiful blue eyes.

Clark leaned in and kissed her on her left cheek. "The memories you shared with Jason and Richard are in you, not in this house," he said gently, hoping is words would help her. He knew she was aware of that and he also knew that she wouldn't be happy living here any longer. "Why don't you and Jason stay with me for a while, both of you can stay in my room, and I can stay in the one I made up for him," he said.

Under any other circumstances, Lois would have refused, but now in the face of having to spend another night in this house; Lois chose to go with him. They went upstairs and while she packed her bags, Clark snuck into Jason's room with the suitcase she had given him and packed all of Jason's clothes in there. Once their bags were packed, he flew the luggage to his house and in record time cleaned out his dresser and closet putting Lois's and Jason's things in there, before he moved his things into Jason's room. All of that took him less than ten minutes and when he arrived back at the house, Jason was awake and was ready to go with him to his house, as was Lois.

* * *

AN: A special thanks goes out to Mr Firenze who was kind enought to beta read this chapter. I know that there was one more person who offered to help and I would still like that to happen, but I trashed all my emails and along with it her name. So if you still want to help out let me know please. In the mean time R&R and thanks

Eviefan


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Away From it All**

Lois silently groaned as she opened her eyes to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table to her left. It was well past midnight and again she was unable to sleep. Pressed up against her belly and chest, Jason slept without a care in the world and next to him Lucky was also asleep. The reason for her restlessness was something she kept telling herself didn't really matter. However, she knew deep down in her heart it really did. She kept thinking about Richard and how much he had given up, and then her thoughts would hover over to Superman, and how he had been willing to sacrifice so much to allow Richard to stay so that Jason wouldn't have to endure what he was going through now. What it all boiled down to was that it was all her fault and she remembered a long time ago vowing never to get into this sort of relationship. The truth hurt, and Lois let the tears fall silently down her cheeks, not making a sound. Finally, unable to remain in bed, Lois carefully got up. She stood at the bedside watching Jason for a moment before she walked out of the room. When she arrived at the kitchen she found Clark ready with a cup of coffee, and took the cup from him as he offered it. Without a word she walked over to the kitchen table, past the entry to the living room, and sat down staring at her cup.

Watching the person he loved struggle with such tragedies was difficult for Clark. Before Lois had come down to the kitchen, he had a talk with Bruce Wayne regarding a topic on which they both agreed upon, which was that as long as they were in their line of work, family was not an option. One night had changed all of that for him, and Clark would never regret it, and hoped that Lois didn't either. He watched as she sat down at the table and could tell she was hurting. "Is my bed okay for you?" he asked, as he walked over to the table and took a seat just to her right.

Lois looked up as he sat down and offered him a smile. "Oh, it's comfortable, well as comfortable as I can be with Jason snuggled up by my side," she said. She sipped on the coffee and sighed shutting her eyes. Almost immediately she felt his hand take hers and had to fight back the tears that seemed always to be threatening to fall. "I don't know why I can't get a handle on this," she admitted, still keeping her eyes shut.

All he wanted to do was hold her and take away her pain. He finally voiced something he had been ruminating about. "Lois, I have been thinking…why don't we go somewhere, just the three of us? May be some beach, where Jason could play in the sun, where we could relax," he said, hoping that would appeal to her.

As good as that offer sounded, she knew that eventually they would have to head back to work. Even though Perry told her to take off as much time as she wanted, and she certainly had enough savings to do that, she thought getting back into life would be a good dose of reality. "I was just thinking about heading back to work in a few days after the weekend," she said as she opened her eyes to look at him.

Even though Lois said those words, Clark was certain she wasn't ready for it, but he also knew that he had to let her figure that out on her own. "When do you think we should send Jason back to school?" he asked, keeping on track with what she wanted.

"Monday should be alright. I think getting back into life is what we both need," she said, and oddly enough she began to feel better. She finished her coffee, and stood up giving Clark a confident smile even though she didn't really feel it.

0000000

Monday arrived and while Lois seemed to be ready to go back to work, Jason was not happy with her decision to make him return to school. As she stood in the bathroom putting her makeup on, Jason was sitting on the toilet seat not far from her, still in his pajamas. "I still miss daddy," he said, sadly.

Lois put her makeup brush down and turning to her left kneeled down in front of her baby. "I know you do munchkin. I miss him too, but he wouldn't want us to stop what we always do, and it's important for us to keep working and learning," she said, trying to convince herself more than him that it was the right course of action. "Now go ahead and get dressed, okay?" she asked. She watched as his frown deepened and sighed as he shuffled out of the bathroom.

In the kitchen, Clark had fresh squeezed orange juice ready for Lois and Jason's rice cereal already at the table. He had just put on a pot of coffee when his little boy walked into the kitchen still in his pajamas, wearing a very sad expression on his face. When Clark knelt down, Jason came willingly into his arms.

"Mommy says it's time to go back to school but I hurt still," he said, as he felt his father's strong arms hold him closer.

"I know buddy, but I think she is right," he said, willing to go with her choice. Lois had been a parent far longer than he had been and he was sure she would know when Jason was ready to face the world again. "Come on, I'll help you get dressed," he said, as he stood up and headed back to his old room.

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Since they were late, Lois walked Jason into the school, leaving Clark waiting outside in the car. She felt his hand tighten around her own and winced at the pain his hold was causing her. When they arrived at his class room, his teacher greeted them, and Jason did something he had never done - he clung to her skirt and began to cry. Realizing that they needed a moment to themselves his teacher shut the door to the classroom, and once she was gone, Lois knelt down and gathered her baby in her arms. "Jason, you will be all right," she said feeling her own hands tremble.

"My heart hurts mommy. I want to stay with you and daddy, please don't make me go today," he said through his soft cries.

Lois was starting to lose the little bit of confidence she had gained this morning and was grateful when Mrs. Grace arrived. The young teacher managed to calm Jason down and asked him if he wanted to go to the teachers lounge and have a cup of ice-cream before he went to class. That worked like a charm and after they were gone, Lois walked out to the car and she and Clark headed on their way to the planet.

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The moment she stepped into the bullpen of The Planet, Lois felt her knees go weak. All of her confidence drained out of her and as she turned rapidly around to leave, she nearly bumped into Clark who had stopped off to talk to Jimmy.

Clark saw the frightful look in her eyes and took her hand. They made it to the elevator and when the doors shut, she crumbled against him. "Shhh, we'll figure this out," he said, as he held her in his arms.

"I made Jason go to school, and he wasn't ready for it," she said, trying to stop crying.

"We'll go get him too and then we are getting away for a while," Clark said in a very matter of fact manner.

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In a dimly lit basement among all sorts of bottles and vials, Max sat on a chair deep in thought. He now knew why Lex Luthor had hired him, and he was having issues with what his boss wanted him to do. It was one thing dealing with a grown man who flew around in a cape and tights; it was another to harm an innocent child who had yet to do anything really wrong. He knew as a geneticist what the strain would do to the boy's system, and he knew that no one would ever know what had happened. Even though there was Kryptonite mixed into the formula, even superman wouldn't know what had hit the boy. There was no known cure for this, well, Max thought, there was one way but by the time they figured it out, the boy would be dead.

"You have a problem with what you are doing?" he heard Lex say. Max sat up straight.

"No, I agree that this kid can't grow into a man. What good would it do to have two of them flying around?" he said, in his most confident tone and was relieved when his boss left him with a smile on his face. Already the inhalers were being switched out at Metropolis Pediatric Clinic, and he knew it was a matter of days or weeks before it would all begin.

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While Lois and Jason slept in his bed, Clark made a call to someone he had not expected to. Bruce Wayne answered the phone and Clark told him about Lois and Jason, and asked him if he knew any place private enough for them to get away, and which would also allow for him to keep Superman's secret, should that be needed. Bruce was a man of unlimited resources, and after a moment of silence, he told Clark he had one place in mind. Clark was informed to leave the travel arrangements and everything else up to him. Before Clark even had the time to thank him, Bruce hung up.

While Clark waited for Bruce to call him back, he heard a cry for help. Shutting his eyes, Clark tuned his hearing in. The situation was something that the local law enforcement in a city in Ohio called Columbus could handle without his help, and as he opened his eyes, he knew that this would be the way of things from here on out. Clark had an obligation to the world, and he remembered his father's warnings about interfering with human history, but now Jason was here, and both he and Lois needed him more.

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The distant ring of a telephone woke Lois from her nap, and as she opened her eyes she looked into the face of her sleeping son. Jason was her miracle, and even though his beginning had been one trial after another, she would not trade in her time with him for anything in the world. Lois leaned in and kissed Jason's soft cheeks without waking him.

When they had arrived at the school he had been in the throws of an asthma attack, but it had been a minor one, and he only had to use his inhaler once before his breathing returned to normal. By the time they arrived back at the house, Jason had fallen asleep in the back seat, and hadn't even stirred when Clark brought him inside.

His sleeping so much concerned Lois, but the last call she made to the Pediatrician a few days ago had assured her that due to the emotional stress he had been under in combination with his health was the cause of his sleepy nature. Silently Lois slipped out of the bed and as she started out of the room, Lucky jumped off the bed and went with her.

In the family room, Lois found Clark seated in his easy chair with the phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he wrote something down on a pad of paper. She had on one of his shirts, and a pair of sweatpants and was curious about what he was doing. As she was about to ask Lucky whimpered at the back door, so Lois headed into the kitchen to let her outside. One thing she liked most about the house was the fenced in backyard, allowing the dog to have free run without her getting into any trouble. As soon as Lucky was away from the door Lois pulled it shut and brought her arms around her front shuddering. It was still really cold out there, and while wearing a t-shirt inside was comfortable, standing in front of an open door with the cold wind blowing in was not. Lois watched out the window as Lucky sniffed around, and then she found herself wrapped in his arms with her back pressed up against his chest. "So are you trying to get one up on me at work?" she asked, teasing him.

"Hmm maybe," he said, as she shook her head. "That was Bruce Wayne, he has arranged for us to go someplace nice for a couple of weeks," he said. As he finished he felt her tense up and when she turned around he could tell she didn't like the idea of being away for that long.

"Clark we have jobs, and not to mention a son who needs to get back to school," she said in protest, but could see the resolute look in his eyes, something she was not used to seeing from him.

"Perry agreed that you need more time away, and being here isn't helping either you or Jason. Both of you need time to heal from this, and this needs to happen," he said, feeling strongly about this. It wasn't in his nature to make demands, and if she argued long enough he would be willing to cut back on the time, but not all of it.

Under any other circumstance, his planning something without her knowledge would have put her off, but as he said that last part her heart grew heavy again, and she realized that he was right. Metropolis was where she and Richard had spent five years together, where Jason had been born, and it was a city filled with too many memories, all too painful to deal with just now. "I guess you win this one," she said, and as he gathered her into his arms she let the tears fall.

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Very early the next morning even before the sun was even hinting at making an appearance, Clark, Lois, Jason, and Lucky got into a very fancy stretch Limo. Jason had been worried about leaving until he realized what was happening, and now as they made their way to the airport, he was enjoying his time by eating a pop-tart, while watching his favorite Cartoons on TV.

Across from Jason, Lois sat next to Clark wearing a long coat over the khaki slacks and warm sweater she had on underneath. "So I thought you and Mr. Wayne weren't fans of one another," she said, finally too curious to let this go.

Next to Lois, Clark had been watching Jason, enjoying himself already. When he heard Lois's question he turned to face her. "We don't dislike one another, and as much as I want to tell you why we have our differences, I can't. I called him to ask him where we could go that would be private enough for me to get away in case I was needed and he said to leave it to him. All I can guess is that he remembers what it was like to lose his parents, and maybe in some way he is doing this for Jason," he said, still amazed by Bruce's very generous gesture.

The Limo pulled past the main part of the airport and went around to a private terminal, and even Clark was surprised when he realized that they were going to use Bruce's Private Jet. Bruce told him where they were going, but he hadn't thought about how they would get there, and Clark realized he had underestimated his partner in the crime fighting business. As dark and as stubborn as Bruce sometimes was, it appeared that he had a soft spot for kids, or maybe for something he himself was not ready to allow.

"Wow, daddy, mommy look is that what we are going to fly on?" Jason asked, as the car pulled up close to the jet.

"I think so, put Lucky in her crate," Lois said, stunned by what she was witnessing. When the driver opened the door, Lois apologized for having Lucky in the limo, because she had slobbered on the seats but the older gentleman told her not to worry. Stepping outside was like stepping into an ice box, and as Jason got out she picked him up and held him close. Clark was helping the pilots with their things, so she took Jason up to the plane and began to climb the steps.

Inside the plane was warm, and very elegant. On the far wall near the back were a set of four seats, two facing the front of the plane and two facing the back with an oak coffee table between them. Another set of seats was on the wall opposite the first set of chairs, and then closer to the front was a set of two chairs facing a monitor. Another oak coffee table was in front of that set, and as Lois put Jason down, her little boy just stood there amazed by what he was seeing.

"Mommy is this our plane?" he asked, as he finally turned around to face her.

Lois knelt down and started to unzip his winter coat. Underneath he had on a pair of warm fuzzy pajamas, and looking into his blue eyes Lois could tell he was still tired. "No baby, this belongs to a very nice man that your daddy knows, Mr. Wayne," she said. As Jason went to explore Lois stood up and removed her coat looking for a place to hang both coats when a beautiful Asian woman stepped onto the plane wearing a sort of uniform.

"Let me take those for you, Miss. Lane," she said.

Lois was surprised she knew her name and at the same time worried. She thought about Lex Luthor still being on the loose and looked back at Jason who was trying out each of the seats. As she was about to go and find Clark, she felt his strong hand on her shoulder. "Clark, she knows who I am, can she be trusted?" Lois said, suddenly feeling very unsure of being here.

"Lois, Bruce himself has assured me that everyone flying with us is in his service and he has as much to protect as we do," he said.

"How do you know that?" she asked still worried. She watched as he stood back taking his own long coat off and after the Stewardess was away she let him lead her to the seats in the back of the plane. When he sat down she sat next to him, waiting.

"I know because he has a secret like I do. What do you know about Gotham's savior?" he asked, knowing that she would figure it out. He had talked to Bruce before boarding the plane and voiced his concerns about Lois's worries and he had agreed that Lois could know his secret. Clark watched as she thought about it and saw her eyes grow big, nodding his head as she realized what he was getting at. "He wouldn't hire anyone who would hurt him or his secret and the same goes for us," he said.

Before she could say anymore, Jason ran to them and told them that the pilot had let him sit in the cockpit. "They have all sorts of instruments, lots more than daddy's sea plane." As soon as his words were spoken Jason realized what he had said and all the excitement he had been feeling this morning drained away, replaced by the sadness which had wrapped around his little heart.

Lois gathered him into her arms and held him as he began to cry. "It's okay to talk about daddy," she said, as he clung to her.

While she comforted Jason, the pilot came to the back, but stopped short. Clark got up and went to him, and was informed that they were ready for take off. He gave the go ahead and sat back down next to Lois as he pulled his seatbelt over his lap. Lois had her own seatbelt on, and he knew they should get Jason buckled in but right now he was too upset.

The engines on the plane revved up and Jason lifted his head away from his mother's shoulder, again feeling excited. "I want to see out the window," he said, in a soft sad voice. In a moment he was on his father's lap and his tears were wiped away. They rolled several yards onto the private runway and then the engines roared to life, though inside the sound was not very loud. The plane moved forward and soon it lifted off the ground. Jason once again wore a smile on his face, seeming to have forgotten his sadness as they made their way toward the clouds.

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Nearly the whole trip, Lois kept asking Clark where they were going but he refused to tell her. They were an hour away from landing, but they were too high in the sky for her to see anything. After their hour warning, Clark brought her a duffle and when she pulled out a pair of shorts and a soft cotton shirt she tried again to get him to tell her. "I can still be surprised when we land," she said, feeling as kiddy as she had as a kid when it was Christmas. Despite how hard the General had been on her and her sister, he had never denied them anything during Christmas.

"I suggest you get dressed, it's going to be a little warm for that outfit," he said, before he left for one of the small bathrooms. He was enjoying keeping the secret from her, for once having that at his hands and hoped the surprises would keep coming.

Once he had gone, Lois dug into the bag and found Jason's outfit. Her little boy had fallen asleep an hour after take off and was still asleep in his pajamas. Silently Lois knelt down next to him wondering why it was still dark outside. She knew she should use her knowledge on Geography and time zones to figure out where they were headed but her brain had turned to mush lately. "Jason, wake up munchkin," Lois said, as she kissed his cheeks.

His mom's kisses woke him up and for a moment Jason was disoriented, and then the little boy remembered that they were going someplace and he sat up. "Are we there?"

His excitement was tangible, and Lois smiled at him. "No, but we will be soon, we need to get dressed," she said, as she took his hand and led him into the other bathroom. Inside Lois was amazed at how large it really was. She got Jason dressed first pulling a colorful yellow shirt over his head and then helped him put on a pair of tan shorts. The last thing he put on by himself was his sandals, and when he was finished Lois let him go back out into the cabin, so she could get dressed.

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The plane landed at a small airstrip on an island just off the coast of Italy. The Island's name was La Costa Verde, Sardinia Island, and when the family of three including Lucky stepped off the plane the bright rays of the sun greeted them.

Jason looked around at the buildings all around them and frowned. "This doesn't look like much fun," he said, looking up at his daddy.

Clark knew they were pretty much in the middle of the Island, and had faith in Bruce's plans. "Well this is just the airport," he said, as he reached out to take Jason's small hand.

They got into another limo, one that was a little smaller than the one they had used in Metropolis, but not by much. This time Lois made Jason keep his puppy in her crate, and he pouted until they went on their way. They drove through several villages and then they found themselves on a road going down the coast.

"Mommy, look at the ocean," Jason said, wanting to jump out of the car and play.

Lois couldn't keep her eyes from the window, the view of the sea was breath taking, and nearly an hour later they arrived at a private Villa. "Oh, Clark," she said, as she looked out the window. She didn't have much time to look because Jason had already gotten out of his booster seat and was trying to get the door open.

With one strong hand, Clark reached out and gently tugged Jason toward him. "Hold on there kiddo, we have two weeks to spend here," he said, as Jason tried to squirm away.

Finally the driver opened the door and Jason was dismayed when his daddy held on to him. Their villa was on a small rise of land, and there was a path leading down to the beach which Jason tried to pull his dad toward but he soon found that he wasn't going to win.

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Much later than he would have liked, and after having to take another nap, Jason was finally leading the way down to their own private beach. A few other families who lived on the island shared the beach, but only about three families in all, and when they arrived they were the only people there.

"Jason, you wait for your daddy and me," Lois called out as he and Lucky ran for the water. It was just a little before lunch, and in her left hand was a picnic basket, which Lois nearly dropped when Jason ran right into the water. Clark let go of her hand and she wondered if he had used super speed because an instant later he had Jason tucked under one arm while Lucky followed them. When they reached her side, Jason was put down in front of her looking angry. "Jason, you have to be careful baby, the ocean is a big place," she said, knowing he was excited.

"I wasn't going to go far, mommy," he said, sticking his bottom lip out.

Lois knew the look in his eyes and knew she had herself to blame for it. "Be that as it may, I told you to wait for me and I know you heard me didn't you?" she asked, as Clark took the blanket from her.

Jason crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked down at his feet. He was ready to have fun and already his mommy was being mean. Jason loved his mommy but sometimes he wondered if she forgot what it was like to have fun and be a kid. "Yes," he finally said, knowing that she wanted his answer.

This was supposed to be a day of fun, and Lois sighed. "Okay, now let's get something to eat so we can go try out that water," she said, deciding not to punish him this time. When he looked up at her he had a smile going from one cheek to the other and Lois reached out and tousled his hair, and then the two of them joined Clark on the large blanket he had spread out and started in on the wonderful food Marie, the woman who took care of the Villa, had fixed for them.

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By the time the family of three headed for the villa, the sun was starting to set. Jason had made friends with all of the children who lived on the Island and did not want to go back. As Lois packed up their things she heard him scream and looked behind her as Clark tossed him in the air. When Clark put him down Jason tried to get away but failed as he was lifted back in the air and placed on his dad's shoulders. Lois had to pull her gaze away from the two, not because of Jason, but because of Clark. All he had on was a pair of yellow and blue swim trunks and looking at him brought out desires that Lois had worked hard to bury. When they two of them reached her side Jason was sniffing. "Oh sweetheart, we will be back tomorrow," she said, hating to see him sad.

"I just wanted to play with Benito and Dante a little longer," he said, as he scrubbed at his eyes. As his daddy lifted him over his head to put him down, Jason hung on. "I don't want to walk," he said, through a yawn.

Clark turned Jason around and smiled as his little boy rested his left cheek against his left shoulder. Once Jason was settled, and Lucky was on her leash, the family of three headed up to the Villa. On the way Lois reached out and took Clark's free hand, and he hoped that they would be able to go back to the beach once Jason was in bed.

Back at the Villa, they had another wonderful meal, and Marie had even made a special plate for Jason; instead of giving him pasta, she had cut up broiled chicken and broccoli, pouring her hearty meat sauce over that and topped it with Goat Cheese.

Now in the smallest of the bedrooms, Jason was nearly asleep on his feet as his mom got him dressed in his summer pajamas. He yawned as she pulled the light blue top over his head and let her help him get his arms into the sleeves. "Did daddy really have to go away?" he said referring to Superman who had left them just moments ago.

Lois helped Jason into his short pajama bottoms and when she was done she picked him up finding an old Victorian rocking chair, next to which stood a small table with children's books laid out. Lois held Jason against her left hip, and as she looked at the books, she picked out a worn copy of one titled "The Adventures of Pinocchio". As she sat down, Lois settled Jason on her lap and opened the book.

"That's a Disney movie," Jason said, wondering what this was doing in Italy.

Lois could tell that it was not. "I think perhaps Disney got the idea from this, but this book was written a long time before that movie came out," she said, as she turned to the first page. It had been a long time since Jason had let her hold him like this and rock him, because he was a big boy after all. The book was written in English, or translated into English, and as she read, Jason kept up with keeping the pages turned. They got to the sixth page in the thirty page book when Jason's hand slipped away, and Lois realized he was asleep. It was only 7pm, but they had all had a long day, and especially Jason. Carefully Lois shut the book and set it on the table and as she was trying to figure out the best way to get out of the chair, Clark walked into the small room and came to her aid.

Something that had amazed Lois since Clark had come into their lives was how natural and comfortable he was taking care of their son. She stayed where she was watching as he knelt by the bed laying Jason down on the soft mattress. Jason's little room was furnished with the chair she was sitting in, which was under a small window, and the table of books. Across from her was his bed, and a bedside table with a delicate small lamp on it. The floor was covered in white tile, but in the middle of the room there was a sea blue Oriental rug with designs that looked like stars and moons but she couldn't be sure.

Sure that Jason was safe and would stay sleep; Clark stood up and turned around going over to Lois. He held out his hand and when she took it, he helped her out of the chair. For a moment they stayed where they were, both of their eyes locked on one another. Before he could do something he knew she wasn't ready for, he led her out of Jason's room and left the door opened only a small amount.

When he helped her out of the chair, Lois had hoped he would kiss her and when he turned to lead them out of the room, she felt her heart thud painfully in her chest. They went down the small hall and came out in the large family room. The room had an arched ceiling with fans circling around to draw in the cool night air. As with the rest of the Villa, the floors were tiled, made with dark-hued marble, and as they walked through the room, Lois kept her hand in his. When they walked out on the balcony just off the huge room she found her breath taken away. They had a view of the Mediterranean Sea and of the setting sun. It was the most perfect view she had ever seen, and when Clark wrapped his arm around her, Lois leaned against him. "We owe Mr. Wayne something for this," she said, in all seriousness.

"I do, and I will see him when we return," he said, as he led her over to a wicker love seat. He sat down first and when she sat down to his right, he gently pulled her against him holding her left hand with his right.

For a long time they stayed where they were, watching the sun setting, and the different colors that were painted in the sky as a result.

"Would you like to go out on the beach before I leave for the evening?" Marie asked, as she came out onto the balcony. "Mr. Wayne told me about your little boy, I have two of my own, and I thought maybe you would want a bit of time for yourselves," she said.

This time Lois trusted him when he accepted Marie's offer, and a few minutes later they were on the beach. Lois had taken her sandals off and left them at the path, and she realized then that Clark had walked down the stony path barefooted. Now the two of them walked hand in hand at the edge of the ocean, their feet getting wet as the tide would come in. "I think the Planet needs to invest in a building here," Lois said, as she leaned her head against his side after they walked a ways from their path. They had stopped to look out at the night sky which was already dotted with thousands of stars.

Being here with Lois was nothing he could have imagined for himself and Clark was indebted to Bruce for what he had done. "Hmm, I somehow think that anyone trying to find work there would lose out over spending time on the beach," he said. He felt Lois turn in his arms and when he looked down at her eyes he could see the desire there. He reached out and put his hand on her cheek and then slowly he lowered his head until their lips met in a fiery kiss.

Lois stood on her tiptoes pulling his head down further to deepen the kiss and then she found her feet lifted off the ground. She ran her fingers through his hair, as she felt his hands working to pull her shirt out of her tan slacks. His tongue filled her mouth and Lois felt her head spin as at the same times his hands found the flesh on her stomach, and worked their way further up her chest.

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Lucky's wining had woken Jason from his sleep, and after remembering where he was, he put her leash on and the two of them walked out into the main room. He heard humming coming from the kitchen and all he could think about was going to see Benito and Dante again. It was very easy to get out of the villa, and Jason even made it down the path telling Lucky to be very quiet. He knew that his daddy had super hearing, and he hoped that maybe his parents were sleeping. When he got to the beach it was dark, but the light from the full moon let him see what he needed He turned right, the opposite direction of where his parents were having some adult time, and silently walked down the beach toward the other villas. What Jason didn't see in front of him was the bodies of two jelly fish that had washed up, but ahead of him Lucky stopped.

"What are you doing?" He asked, and then he noticed something shimmering on the ground. Jason knelt down and picked one up finding strings hanging off of it. Lucky sniffed one and yelped backing away as Jason held his up higher to look.

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His mouth worked its way down her jaw to her neck and Lois threw her head back as he began to suck at the hollow of her throat. Then suddenly his mouth left her and when she looked at him he was listening for something.

Superman heard something and now he listened again. He heard Lucky yelp, and knew she wasn't far from where they were. "Jason," he said, as he gently let Lois go. He had on his slacks and as he ran he buttoned them up.

The stringy things were really strange and without any thought Jason reached out and grabbed them. Suddenly his whole hand felt like it was on fire and as he dropped the shiny thing and began to scream as the strings slid down his leg.

Lois had gotten her shirt back on when she heard Jason's screams and ran as fast as she could until she arrived at Superman's side. Jason was cradled in his arms, still screaming, and her eyes fell on the two jelly fish. "Oh God, he's allergic to bee stings, and I would imagine this too," she said, not sure if that was the same or not. She picked Lucky up and followed Clark back up to the house holding his shirt as well as the puppy.

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Marie knew what to do for the stings and had made up a paste using some herbs and other remedies she knew about. Jason's hand was beet red and swollen and he was still crying as Lois held him while Marie put her paste on his leg. He was taking a nebulizer treatment as Marie tended to his legs and as she finished he was starting to calm down. They had left the nebulizer at home and Superman had flown all the way there and back in less than ten minutes.

"Now that should start to feel better Jason, but you must remember to watch for those animals from the sea, not all of them are nice," Marie said, as she gathered up her things. "I will leave this with you, if he still hurts in the morning, apply it as I have, it should be better by then," she said, and then she took her leave for the night.

Jason had stopped crying but didn't like how his hand felt with the paste on it and the wrapping Marie had put on it along with his leg. "This is icky," he said, as his daddy quit pacing and came over to them.

Clark was beside himself about Jason's foray and had managed to get rid of the anger he felt at his son's reckless behavior. "What you did was very dangerous," he said, in a stern voice.

Jason looked at his daddy and could tell he wasn't happy. "I just wanted to see Benito and Dante, and I won't ever touch that bad thing again, never," he said, trying to defend his actions.

Lois could tell Clark was feeling the same thing she was. "Well because of that there won't be any beach for you tomorrow, you will have to stay here," she said.

Jason's eyes filled with tears. "No, I said I was sorry." He began to cry again as his mommy took the oxygen mask off of his face.

When Clark reached for Jason, she let him take their son and stood up from the rocking chair. She hated making him cry but she also wasn't willing to let the rules go simply because they were on vacation.

As Clark sat down on the edge of the bed, he gently rocked his little boy. Jason clung to him, and was genuinely upset.

"I won't do it again," he said, as he continued to cry.

"I know you won't, but your mommy is right, you are going to have to stay here." Jason cried himself to sleep and Clark didn't put him down until he had settled down. After pulling the blue spread over his little boy, Clark walked down the hall and found the light on in the room Lois was using. "Do you want to talk?"

Lois was already in bed thinking about what could have happened to Jason. It wasn't Marie's fault that he had gotten away; the older woman just didn't realize how sneaky her son could be. "I think so," she said, thinking about what had happened between the two of them. When Clark entered the room he was still without his shirt and Lois shut her eyes. "Do you think I would be betraying Richard if you stayed in here with me tonight?" Lois didn't want to be alone, and had already felt the old pain coming back to haunt her while Clark took care of Jason.

It was obvious to anyone who loved her that Lois was hurting and Clark walked over to her side of the bed and knelt down much as he had done for Jason earlier. "I don't think Richard would want you to spend the rest of your life alone, and I'm not planning on going anywhere for the moment, I just need to get cleaned up," he said. Before he stood up, he leaned in and gave her gentle kiss on her lips and then he left for his room to get a shower and to change into something a bit more comfortable.

As he left Lois shuddered and pulled the sheets against her chest. The love she was feeling for him had returned in full force on the beach and she didn't know how she was going to survive when this trip was over. Lois knew she and Jason couldn't camp out at his house forever and she wondered if they should get married here, but she wasn't sure if that would be too soon, and then she felt the pain swallowing her again. As she shut her eyes to hold back the tears she felt the bed shift a moment before she was in his strong arms. "I'm so tired of this," she said, as she rested her cheek against his chest. Lois had on a silk nightgown and sighed as he gathered her closer to him.

"My father died while I was still in high school. I had been left at the playing field to pick up the foot ball gear and the cheerleaders things as well. After everyone left it took me less than a minute to do, and then I ran home and arrived just as Brad and his crew pulled up beside me. My pop caught wind of my comments to their questions about how I had gotten there so fast and told me that I wasn't put here to win at their games. We raced back to the farm house and I pushed him to run. He collapsed just short of the house and that was the last time I saw him alive," he said, as he cleared his throat still finding it hard to discuss.

Lois realized that he knew the sort of pain she was feeling and could tell that it still hurt him. As he spoke she began to get a glimpse of the life he had led before he found out he was Superman, and something surfaced from the back of her mind as he finished with his journey to the fortress.

"Your Kryptonian parents named you Kal-El," she said, as a statement of fact rather than a question.

"You remembered," he said, as she lifted her head from his chest to look at him. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I remembered it all at once that time you kissed me but bits and peaces come to me in more detail at certain times. I think that's why I gave Jason Kyle for his middle name. I always liked Jason for a boys name but one night while he was still at the hospital, while I was rocking him, that name just came to me," she said, as they shared a brief kiss.

Clark was able to stay with her the full night and then a volcano eruption called him away right before the sun was starting to rise.

000000

Two weeks passed by way too fast for everyone, and on their last day on the beach, Jason built a sandcastle with Benito, Dante and a few other children, while Lois sat with Clark on a soft blanket. She didn't want to go home, but she knew it was time. As much fun as they had these past two weeks, it was time to rejoin the living, but her heart was aching all the same.

Beside her, Clark knew that she was worried, and he had been doing a lot of thinking these past two weeks. He wasn't ready to let either of them go back to living by themselves, but he also worried that Lois wasn't ready for any sort of commitment. Finally he decided to talk about it. "Lois, do you and Jason want to continue to live with me?"

His words drew her out of thought and she turned to face him. For the past two weeks they had shared a bed, not making love, not in the full sense, and that was part of what she was dreading, having to sleep alone again. With Clark she felt whole and as much guilt as she felt about thinking this way she felt more complete with him than she had with Richard. "I think maybe it would be best," and then she stopped and turned away not sure what she should say to that.

Clark reached out and gathered her into his arms. "I was just thinking how nice this has been, I've enjoyed being able to help take care of Jason, and I love being with you," he said, not afraid to admit his feelings. He had not shed his duties as the Savior of the world, but Lois no longer seemed to be upset when he did have to go. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would like it if you two stayed with me from now on," he said.

Lois thought about what her parents would think and then pushed it aside, since when had their thoughts ever controlled any decisions she made. "Well if you're sure you want us then I guess maybe we could stay," she said. There was no pressure from him to do any more than what they had and she loved that about him. With that settled they headed out toward Jason and all three of them took a swim in the ocean.

0000000

Around 6pm that evening the limo arrived to take them to the airport. Jason was upset about having to leave and was hugging Marie goodbye as his parents got things in the car. "I'll miss Benito," he said, sadly.

"Oh I think he will miss you too, but I have your address in Metropolis so he will write to you," she said, loving this sweet little boy almost as much as his parents did. When they were ready, Marie walked with Jason to the Limo and waved goodbye as they left.

By the time they got on the plane it was evident that Jason was upset, and no amount of hugs and kisses seemed to help that. During the trip home Lois and Clark both tried to cheer him up, even telling him that he and Lois were going to stay at Clark's, but he didn't say much and fell asleep not long after they took off.

000000

As Lois opened the door to Clark's house, Lucky ran inside and instantly found her favorite rubber duck. Clark walked inside after Lucky and when he was in; Lois shut the door and went with him down the hall, to Jason's room. They were all wearing their warm cloths, getting used to being back in winter weather.

In Clark's room, or their room as it was now going to be, Lois felt the same sort of sadness she had when they left Italy. It was late, and she wished they could go back. As she finished dressing for bed, Clark walked in and told her that Jason wanted a good night kiss from her, and she willingly went to her baby's room.

With Lois occupied taking care of Jason, Clark walked in the kitchen and listened to his messages finding one from his mom and one for Lois from the reality company. He jotted down what the message said and then headed back to his room. As he was starting to dress for bed he heard a very distant explosion and as he spun into his suit, Lois entered the room.

There were not too many times during their vacation that he had to leave, but seeing him in uniform made her realize that they were back to reality. Lois shared a kiss with him before he left and after he was gone she felt the old pain creeping back. As she settled in his bed she wondered if this was really going to work, and as she shut her eyes she had hopes that they really could be a family true and whole.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: The Unexpected Date**

After dropping a sad Jason off at school, Lois drove the Audi on toward work hoping that his day would improve. Jason's teacher, Mrs. Grace, told both her and Clark that if he had too much trouble the school would call them, and they would be able to go and pick him up.

When they arrived at work, Clark carried most of their things. In the Lobby he waited as Lois ordered a large cup of coffee, black with no cream or sugar, from the vender. As soon as she was ready, both of them squeezed into the always crowded elevator and waited silently as they road up to the newsroom. The moment they walked inside the busy space, they heard _Chief_ calling out to them. Clark managed to drop their things off at their respective desks before he followed Lois into Perry's office.

Seeing his star reporter back at work was a relief, though Perry could tell she was still preoccupied. "I assume you both caught wind of the fires last night at the east docks?"

As soon as the fire was mentioned, Lois's mind turned to reporter mode. "The fire inspector thought it was arson, but I thought maybe we could go down there this afternoon and get a look for ourselves," Lois replied, hoping he would allow that. The grin on his otherwise hardened face was her answer.

"That's how I like things around here. You two get me a front page and I might consider a raise in both your salaries," he said. He watched as they left, knowing that sales would go back up now that Lois Lane was back at work.

* * *

A cold breeze blew in off the waterway and Lois for one would be happy when spring finally arrived. As Clark spoke with the fire inspector, Lois sifted around in the mangled mess of burnt wood and metal from the warehouses. There wasn't much to see, and it was looking more and more like another sad statistic to add to the long list of bad things that went on in the poorer part of town. As she started back toward Clark, her foot made contact with something solid, which didn't feel like debris from the building. Lois looked down, before kneeling down to lift away a piece of metal. "Inspector, Clark," she called out, before turning away.

The panic in her voice alone was enough to send Clark rushing to her side, and as he saw what she had uncovered, he pulled her into his arms. The body was a child's, no more than three or four years of age, and it hit home for both of them. As the Inspector radioed in for someone to be sent in from the Homicide Department, Clark escorted Lois a small distance away from the scene. "You okay?" he asked, as she still clung to him. The child's body had been burnt beyond recognition, and even as many times as he had seen a dead body in his line of work, it was still hard to view that.

Lois took in a few deep breaths and let them out. "Yes, I thought you said you got everyone away," she stated, as she lifted her head from against his strong chest to look up in his eyes.

"I did. That body wasn't there the last night when Superman was putting out the fires," replied Clark, which meant there was more to this story than met the eye. "This may not be gang related," he continued, thinking of radical groups, and cults. They walked back to the inspector and asked him if they could do a follow up. He asked that they keep the news of this out of the paper until he could find some leads, and they both agreed to do that.

* * *

His first day back at school was hard, and Jason wanted to go back to Italy to be with Benito and Dante. They had spoken English as well as Italian fluently, and they were two of the nicest boys Jason had ever been around. Now, as he sat at a table during free time, he was drawing a picture of the beach when his paper was taken away from him. "That's my drawing," Jason said, looking at Randy as he held the paper up laughing. Free play today was with all of the lower grades, and Jason hated it.

"What's this supposed to be?" Randy asked, sneering at the little boy.

"The beach in Italy, at our own private villa. Now please give it back," Jason replied, doing his best not to cry.

It was clear to Randy that he was getting to Jason, and he grinned as Phillip arrived to help. "You know you shouldn't make up tall tales. Bad things happen to liars. Maybe that's why your dad bit the bullet. Maybe he was a liar and he died because of it," said Randy, laughing as Jason's eyes filled with tears.

"He wasn't a liar," Jason said as the tears started to drip down his cheeks. He scrubbed them away, wanting nothing more than to run outside and yell for his dad. Jason managed to pull it together and asked the new teacher if he could go to the bathroom. As soon as he was out of his classroom, Jason ran down the hall, running outside into the cold rain. He ran across the parking lot and hid behind some bushes, letting his tears fall freely. "Daddy come get me I want you now," he said over and over as he shivered in the cold rain. Jason waited and waited but his daddy didn't come which caused him to cry more. "I need you Daddy, I need you," he sobbed, as he huddled down to the ground, resting his cheek against the grass as he continued to cry.

"Jason, oh my goodness," he heard Mrs. Grace say, as she helped him stand up. He let her pick him up and clung to her as his heart began to hurt. His daddy hadn't heard him, and that only added to the pain.

* * *

As Lois pulled the car into the parking lot, her cell phone rang, and when she answered it she found the school nurse on the other end. "Yes, we were coming by to check on him," she said, looking at Clark. They had been on their way back to the _Planet _when Clark heard Jason's cries and knowing that Superman couldn't go to him every time something happened, Lois had pushed her small car to its limits to get them to their little boy. "Just get his things ready, we will try again in a few days," she replied, as she parked the car, fuming.

"What happened?" Clark asked, knowing that she was angry.

Lois shut her eyes. "What always happens when they put his class with the upper grades, the big kids pick on him, and Susan said today they teased him about Richard." Lois heard something snap and looked in Clark's hands seeing the remains of the pencil he had been holding. "You'll have to teach me that," she said trying to lighten the mood.

When he realized she was trying to help him, Clark smiled at her. He leaned in and gave her a hug before they got out of the car to get their son.

00000

As soon as he saw his parents, Jason got off the cot and ran into his father's arms. "You didn't come," he said, through his sorrowful cries.

Clark held him close kissing his wet cheek. "Not like that Jason, but I heard you which is why your mommy and I came together," replied Clark, noticing that Jason was shivering. As he held Jason closer, the door to the infirmary opened and two young boys stepped inside, followed by the Head Master of Jason's private school. They looked worried, as Lois walked next to Clark and their son.

"Jason, we… well we shouldn't have said bad things about your dad like that," said Randy, feeling bad now that he knew what his words had done to the younger boy. It was fun to pick on the little kids, but when Mr. Roberts told them how Jason's other daddy had died, he felt bad for him.

Clark felt Jason's grasp tighten around his shoulders. "Go away," he heard his son say. He looked at Lois and knew that right now Jason was too upset to see the two boys.

"Maybe when you come back we could keep an eye out for you," Phillip added, feeling equally as bad. When they didn't get anything out of him they left dragging their feet.

Once the two boys were gone, Lois knelt down next to Clark wondering when life for Jason would improve. "Daddy and I still have things to do at work. Do you mind going back with us?" she asked, as she rested her cheek against his back.

She saw his head nod, and took that as a yes. When they got out to the car Clark got Jason buckled into his booster seat, and put _Lilo and Stitch_ on for his little boy, before he kissed away the last of his tears. This time Lois was happy to ride as a passenger and after dusting the pieces of broken pencil away, she sat down. As they got on the road her phone rang, and when she answered it she found the receptionist from Metro Pediatrics on the other end. Lois silently cursed. "Yeah we can be there in a little bit." She hung up the phone and hit her head against the window causing Clark to give her a funny sort of look. "Sorry, Jason has a check up, that I scheduled a month ago and forget about." She reached out and set the directions into the Magellan, the GPS system she had gotten for the car a year ago, before dialing the office to tell Perry they had a working story and that they would likely not be back in until later.

* * *

Stitch had just gone to sleep in the bed Lilo made for him when the car came to a stop. Feeling the car at a standstill, Jason looked out the window, and when he saw the small brick building, he tried to find something to hold onto. He had been going to the doctor's office for all of his life, and some days he hated being poked and prodded. Once his parents were both out of the car, he tried to hold down the lock on his side.

It was starting to drizzle again as Lois tried the door on Jason's side, and when Clark told her to go on inside and sign him in she was glad she had him around. _Poor Jason, first school and now this_, Lois thought, as she walked into the building realizing that they needed to have some good family time at home with him.

While Jason was able to keep his mom from opening his door, he hadn't thought about the other door until his dad opened it. As fast as he could Jason tried to get his seat belt off and get out the same door he had held closed, but it was too late. "No, let me go. I don't want to get stuck today," he sobbed, as his daddy held onto him. Clark sat down in the other seat and lifted Jason into his arms. "Shh, I'm sorry pal, but this is important," he crooned, as Jason stopped struggling.

"Why do I get sick? I'm like you I shouldn't have sicks like everyone else," Jason said, as they got out of the car. He heard his father's voice and shut his eyes as the answer came. He was part human and until he was older he would probably still have times when he would be sick. "It's not fair," Jason stated, as they arrived inside the building.

Once they were inside, it was time to go back to the exam room, and as they passed through the doors, Clark felt Jason's grasp tighten around his neck. A young nurse led them into a colorful room, and as Clark sat down and tried to get Jason to turn around, his little boy wouldn't comply.

"Hi, Jason, how are you today?" Nurse Julie said.

That voice calmed him down a little, and reluctantly Jason drew away from his father, but shook his head when he tried to put him down on the table.

Clark sat down with Jason on his lap, as Lois took as seat close by. The nurse took Jason's temperature first, finding it normal for Jason, which was right at 98.0. As she stated that, Clark was surprised. Next she went over to the counter, and Clark found Jason trying to get away.

Lois knew how much he hated this part and walked over to them, hugging him so that his face was hidden against her neck. "Do you remember when you got Lucky?" Lois asked, as she felt him calm down. This was common practice for Jason, getting his finger stuck, though when Julie took his finger, he pulled it away. "Jason, listen baby, they need to do this to make sure your doing okay," Lois said, as she felt the wetness of his tears against her neck. He was still sitting on Clark's lap, and she held him still as his blood was taken, shutting her own eyes as he began to cry.

As Clark sat behind his son he wondered what could be done to stop this, which made him think of his own Kryptonian makeup. When he was little, he had the occasional cold or sniffle, but he also knew that his son was as much a human child, as he was a Kryptonian child, and now more than ever he knew he needed to go back to the Fortress of Solitude to get those answers. When the nurse left, Lois took Jason back to the chair where she had been sitting, and held him as he began to settle down. Clark got down off of the examining table and walked to her left, sitting down next to them. He reached out and put his hand on Jason's, and a moment later Jason's hand closed in around his own.

They only had a few minutes of reprieve before Dr. Higden walked into the room, and Jason held on to his mom as if his life depended on it. Dr. Higden had been seeing Jason since he was barely four months old, and she knew his good days as well as his bad. "Jason, I heard about your trip to Italy. Would you mind to tell me about that?" she asked. She waited as Jason started to speak, and as he did she managed to get him up on the table, alone.

"I met two boys while I was over there, Benito and Dante, and they are my very best friends," stated Jason, as he obediently took a breath

Dr. Higden listened to his chest as he took normal breaths, and then she smiled and helped Jason put his shirt back on. "You need to use your inhaler more often, young man," she said giving him a wink as she looked over at Lois. "He is a bit congested, more than I like to see with his previous history of pneumonia. I want you to use the nebulizer before bedtime for the next week, and I'm going to order a shot of steroids to help things along." When she saw Jason flinch she hugged him. "I know you hate those, but it's better than you ended up with pneumonia," Dr Higden informed.

When she left, Jason hopped off of the table and walked over to his mommy. "I just want to go home now," he said, as she lifted him onto her lap. Jason felt her arms wrap around him and sighed.

* * *

By the time they arrived home, Jason was still awake, but it was evident that he was tired. Dr. Higden had given him the shot herself, and Jason hadn't fought, but he cried hard, which broke Clark's heart. Since it was still raining, and since Jason had kicked his shoes off in the car, Clark carried him inside wrapped in his long dress coat, and once Jason was on his feet, Lucky was there to greet him, causing him to laugh a little.

Lois shut the door behind her, asking Jason what movie he wanted to watch. She saw a smile on his face as he raced back into his new playroom to get what he wanted. They had taken him to Ducky Bills which had cheered him up for a while, but on the ride home he had complained about his sore spot from caused by the shot.

While Clark got the movie set up, Lois went to the bedroom and changed out of her work cloths. She pulled on a pair of comfortable blue jeans and an old sweat shirt. Once she was comfortably dressed, Lois walked into Jason's room. In his closet Lois took down his fire engine red feeted pajamas, before she returned to the family room where _Mary Poppins_ was beginning to play. Jason and Clark were settled together in the recliner, and their little boy reluctantly slipped down to let her get him ready for bed.

After Jason was dressed, Lois realized he would likely fall asleep long before the movie finished, and a few minutes later she arrived back with his nebulizer. She handed the mask to Clark, who fit it over Jason's mouth and nose, and set the base on the side table next to the brown recliner. Lois plugged it in, after reaching under the table, and then turned it on.

Jason pulled the mask away for a moment, "Mommy sit with me and Daddy," he said, before he felt the mask being put back into place.

Lois laughed, as they all did, when Clark pulled her onto his lap, and while she rested against his left side, Jason rested against his right as they all watched the old movie Jason loved.

Mary, the children, and Bert had just entered the sidewalk drawing when Lois glanced over at her son, finding him sound asleep. She managed to get up with Clark's help and walked down the hall to Jason's room, knowing that Clark would be there in a moment. As she pulled the covers down to the end of the bed, he arrived and laid their son down on his left side, mindful of the place where he had gotten the shot of steroids.

Clark knew that area would be sore from what Lois had said and once he was sure Jason was comfortable he gave him a hug and kiss.

Once Lois had given him a hug and kiss they went back into the family room. Before she could sit down Lois found around her waist a moment before he turned her around and pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was tender at first, as his hands slid down her sides. Lois knew that they couldn't ignore what was right in front of them forever, and as she felt his hand under her bottom lifting her up, making contact with his hardened form, she knew that now.

As Clark dipped his tongue into the sweet recess of her mouth, he heard something, and as he felt her hands beginning to fiddle with the fastenings of his jeans, he knew what he had heard and reluctantly moved away. "A child," he said having to push his desires and want of her aside.

Her frustration had reached its limits, until he said those words, and when she thought about the small child they found today she forgot her anger. "Go," she said, and in a blink he was gone.

* * *

No one was there, and her mommy told her not to cry, but she was very afraid now. The little girl held on to her dolly, as she walked dangerously close to the edge of the pier. Her long red hair was a tangled mess, and the cloths she wore were tattered and torn. "Mommy," she cried out, and then she heard a gentle voice, and looked in front of her seeing a man wearing a funny outfit as he knelt down to the ground. His face looked kind, even nicer than her mommy's, and after only a moment of hesitation, she went into his arms.

Superman held the little girl, and felt her shaking. "Your safe now, can you tell me your name?" he asked.

"Don't know it," she said clinging to this man for dear life. When he told her to shut her eyes and to hold on, she did, and as tired as she was the little girl refused to go to sleep because that's when the bad things happened.

* * *

The bed shifting beside her woke Lois. As she opened her eyes, she focused on her alarm clock which read 2am. Lois turned over on her right side and found Clark watching her. She smiled at him before she leaned in giving him a gentle kiss. "What happened?" she asked, as he turned on his back bringing her to lie against him.

"I found a little girl who did not know her name. My guess is that she is no more than three years old, and it was evident that she had been physically abused. I stayed there, because she wouldn't let anyone touch her except for me, but she's in good hands now. They were in the process of placing her in a special needs foster home when I left. I went back and tried to scan for anything that might give me a clue to where she had come from, but I found nothing," Clark relayed, not liking this at all.

Lois knew he was frustrated, and pressed a kiss against his chest. "Maybe we can call around tomorrow and find out if any one has reported her missing." As she spoke those words, Lois felt his hand slide down her back, and was beginning to enjoy where his hand was leading when he suddenly stopped. She lifted her head a moment before she heard Jason's sad voice at their door. "Stay put." Before leaving the bed Lois leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. At their door Jason waited and Lois lifted him into her arms taking him back to his bed.

Jason had shut his tired eyes, but when he felt her laying him back in bed he held on. "I want you to hold me," he mumbled, through a yawn.

Lois straightened back up, finding _The Velveteen Rabbit _on his bedside table, and carried Jason into the family room along with the book. After she sat down in the recliner and had switched on the light, Lois opened the book to the page they had left off on, and began to read.

They finished the story, but Jason wasn't tired, and said so when she began to carry him back to his room. "I want to go flying with daddy," he whispered through a yawn. He pouted when she put him back in his bed and pulled the covers over his small body.

Lois sat down on his bed, and leaned down kissing his nose, his cheeks, and then his lips. "I know you are sleepy, and it's time to go back to sleep now."

"But I would sleep better if daddy would take me flying," Jason replied, feeling sad.

Lois saw the unshed tears in his eyes and hugged him close. "Daddy had a long night helping a little girl, and all three of us have to be at work tomorrow for the office meeting," said Lois, gently letting go of him. Resolutely, Lois stood up, and gave her baby one more kiss. "Why don't you dream about flying with your Daddy?" She saw a tear fall down his cheek and kissed it away. "Try and go to sleep." Lois reached out and began to stroke her fingers through his hair watching as his eyes grew heavy and finally shut. Once she was sure he would be okay, she left his room and returned to theirs.

* * *

The next morning, after settling Jason in the now vacant office which had once belonged to Richard, Lois and Clark sat down in seats that were close to the door should their son need them. Jimmy arrived with the photos he had taken that night at the fire and was showing them to his friends, when Perry walked in. Everyone stopped talking, and he asked for status on the fires.

"They are still investigating. Um they may have different ideas on who started them," said Clark, sounding unsure of himself. It was all a part of the act, and he was just glad that at home he could be himself.

"I found a body of a little child burned beyond any recognition, but it wasn't there the night Superman was putting the fires out," Lois told Perry and as well the group. She wanted to include the other little girl, but decided against it just to keep her protected. Not so long ago Lois wouldn't have thought twice about giving up that information, but since becoming a mother, her priorities had changed, and now she was much more careful.

* * *

In his daddy's old office, Jason sat at his desk drawing a picture. He made clouds with a gray crayon, and made the sun using red and yellow to color it in. Next he made a picture of a man with wings, and out from that he wrote, _daddy_. "I miss you lots. My Daddy says we can't come see you, because you have to be done living before that can happen. Maybe, then, you could tell God you want to come back and see us, and maybe He will let you do that." As he finished drawing the picture, Jason folded it up and then climbed down off of the chair. He walked out into the near empty office, peering over at his Uncle's office. He knew the rules about staying put, but he also thought he knew a way to get his picture up to heaven for his daddy to see.

How he got out of the Bullpen without being spotted was beyond him, and as Jason stepped into the elevator he jumped up and managed to hit the button for the roof. He kept very quiet knowing that his other daddy could hear him, and as the elevator got to the very top and the door opened, he found Superman waiting for him. "You knew," Jason breathed, still amazed by all the powers his daddy used. "Will you fly me up as high as you can so I can give this to my Daddy?"

Superman took the picture before he knelt down, gathering Jason in his strong arms. "I will, if you promise me not to ever do this again." When Jason agreed he told him to hold on tight and once Jason was secure in his arms, Superman shot up into the air. He took Jason as high as his body would allow, and stopped, hovering almost where the curve of the earth could be seen. "Jason, look."

Jason looked down and his eyes grew very big. "Can we go into space?" he asked looking up to see the stars. The little boy felt his daddy's laughter rumble through his chest.

"You are not ready for that yet, but maybe one day. Now may I see your picture?" Asked Superman. Jason put it in his hand, and Superman let it go blowing on it which sent it into space.

"Daddy, it won't get to him will it?" Jason asked, suddenly sad. He felt his daddy hold him close. "Why did you let me do that then?"

"Because it was important to you, Jason," replied Superman.

Jason understood that and knew he was lucky that he had such a great dad, that he had two great dads, and one that he really wished he could see again.

* * *

By the end of the week, Lois and Clark had the front page story. The fires had been started by a cult, and underneath one of the buildings was a substantial basement filled with the bodies of hundreds of missing children. The little girl Superman found had somehow gotten away from the group and had been taken home to her parents in Maine. The group's leader was in a maximum security prison awaiting trial, and the rest of the group was being watched closely by the FBI.

When they were getting ready to leave the office, Perry stopped them. "I meant to do this earlier, but tomorrow night they are having a benefit at the Children's Museum, and both of you are on the A list," Perry told Lois and Clark.

Jason watched his mommy as she thought about what his Uncle Perry had said, and when she agreed to attend, Jason looked down at his feet. He hated babysitters, and as they walked out to the car he kept his head down.

Both Lois and Clark noticed his sadness and as they got underway, Lois asked Jason if he would like Lucy to come over and keep him company.

"Why can't I go with you?" He asked, sadly.

Lois tried to explain to him how boring it would be, but in the end he wasn't convinced. When they got home Jason got to watch a movie before it was bedtime. Jason felt even greater sadness then because someone needed Superman, and no amount of kisses and hugs from either parent made the little guy feel better.

* * *

It was an hour before they were ready to leave when Lucy arrived with Jason's favorite food, and her own dog Scruffy who was a mutt she rescued from the pound. Lucky and Scruffy sniffed at one another and began to play as Jason and Lucy got into the Burritos.

In their room, Lois stood at her vanity putting on her diamond studs. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and small strands of hair hung down around her ears. The dress she wore was made of fine red silk. It had a low cut V neck and a slit going up the right side, exposing her firm leg. Lois had on a pair of dark stockings, along with her fancy black dress shoes. As she dabbed some of her best perfume on her neck and wrists, she looked at the mirror and found Clark standing at the door watching her. "You're going to make us late," she said, as she spun around to face him.

She was more beautiful than he could put into words, and those desires that he had always managed to keep suppressed were flaring up. Before Lois could say anything else, Clark shut the door and was at her side in mere seconds. He still had on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and he knew she had a point as he pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips hard against her own. He pushed his tongue into her mouth drinking in her taste, taking in the sweet smell of her perfume and her body. With his left arm holding her around her waist, Clark broke the kiss and began to trail more kisses down her jaw to her neck.

Lois leaned back shutting her eyes, trying to remember how to breath, but his kisses, and the caress of his hand as it lifted her dress up were driving her wild. "We have…" she breathed, and gasped as his lips traveled to her ear.

"What do we have?" Clark asked as he nibbled the tender flesh of her ear lobe. He lingered there a moment as his hands began to rub her inner thigh. In the back of his mind he knew they were already supposed to be on their way to the Museum, but right now he wanted what he had wanted since he saw her frightened on that plane.

Somehow, Lois managed to get her mind back on what they needed to do. She reached out with both hands grasping his head on each side as she guided his lips back to her own. She held her left hand against the back of his head, as she kissed him, darting her tongue in and out of his mouth just before she pulled away. "We have obligations," Lois reminded him, a moment before she left the room. Lois was well aware that if she had stayed, their obligations would be on other more desirable things.

* * *

The first part of the benefit was time for all the guests to mingle, and as Clark visited with people he hardly knew, his gaze kept falling on the woman who he loved with all of his heart. Lois was talking to Alice White and both women were laughing.

"Hey, Mr. Kent," Jimmy said for a third time, before his friend finally registered that he was there. Jimmy saw Lois and knew Clark was likely thinking about her, but he hadn't really had a chance to talk to him since he got back.

Clark felt bad for allowing his mind to wonder so much, and for a moment he focused his hearing on Jason, listening to the steady drum of his heart as he watched a movie with his Aunt Lucy. "Golly, I'm sorry Jimmy. I guess I was thinking about other things. How are you doing?" He asked.

"Great. The Chief really liked the photos that I took at the fire. He says I'm getting better. Um, I was just wondering how things were with you guys."

Jimmy was one of his oldest, dearest friends, and Clark knew that the young photographer was likely concerned about Jason since he had come to work with them all week. "Better. Lois is glad to be back at work, and Jason is still getting used to the changes in his life, but he is also doing better," Clark told the young photographer.

Before they could talk more, dinner was announced, so Jimmy found his date, and Clark walked over to Lois and took her hand.

* * *

Jason loved his Aunt Lucy because she was fun, and because she let him see movies his mom said he was way too young to watch. Tonight it was _Vanhelsing_, and so far Jason didn't find it too scary. He watched as Vanhelsing waited for the girl vampires to come back, and jumped when one of them grabbed at him.

Lucy felt Jason tense up in her arms and hugged him closer. "Just remember its lots of makeup and special affects," Lucy said kissing his left cheek. Looking to the left she saw how late it was getting and stopped the movie. "Come on, squirt. It's time for bed." Lucy stood up and placed Jason on his feet.

Jason didn't want to go to bed, and instead of listening to his Aunt, he ran away from her. Once he was in his room, he hid under his bed. As Lucy called out to him, Jason ignored her not wanting to go to sleep before his mom and dad got back.

Lucy loved her nephew, but when he played this game of hiding before bed, she had a hard time keeping her cool. "Come on, Jason. If you come out, I'll let you have some candy," she tried, as she searched in her sister's room first. Lucy looked in the closet, in the cabinets in the bathroom, and behind the small couch across from the bed. "Jason, if you don't come out I'll call your parents," she yelled as she walked across the room to her nephew's small room.

* * *

As the soft music played from the live band, Clark held onto the woman he loved. He had learned how to dance from his mom and loved gliding Lois around the floor. Clark knew that people were talking about them, but he could care less.

Lois gazed into his eyes as they danced, idly wondering if he had levitated them off of the floor. The evening had actually been fun, and she had enjoyed being with him, as well as visiting with old friends. It was a nice ending to a long week, and as they danced, and she felt his hand on her back, Lois thought about what had almost taken place in their room. She realized that she wanted a physical loving relationship with him. As much as Lois loved and missed Richard, what she wanted was Clark's touch, and as she thought about that she shut her eyes.

The music ended and everyone applauded the fine sounds of the orchestra. Clark led Lois back to their table, and as he sat down he felt the cell phone go off in his pocket. Lois had given it to him in case Lucy needed them and the number on there was his own. "Hello," he answered as he sat down.

"Oh, thank god. I'm sorry to bother you, but Jason is under his bed and he won't come out for bed time. I thought maybe if you talked to him he would listen," Lucy said hoping that Jason's father would have better luck with hi.

Clark told her to hand Jason the phone and waited for that to happen.

"Hi, Daddy," Jason said rubbing his eyes.

Clark heard the sadness in his voice and wanted to go to him, but he was also determined to let this evening go on. "Jason, I want you to listen to your Aunt Lucy." Clark waited as Jason talked. "I know you miss us. We miss you, too, but when Lucy is there you have to listen to her. Now I want you to get in our bed and let Lucy help you with the nebulizer." Once he was sure Jason was going to listen, he said good night to his little boy and hung up the phone winking at Lois as the music began for another dance.

Jason knew that his daddy meant business, and after he hung up he did what his Aunt wanted. Once he had brushed his teeth he crawled into his parents' bed with Lucky, and took his nebulizer treatment without a fuss.

Lucy was amazed by Clark Kent, because Jason's other dad, Richard, had never been able to call and make Jason listen to her. She sat with him and read until his treatment finished and then she tucked him in and gave him a kiss. "Sorry I yelled at you, but you need to listen." She left, not seeing as his tears fell silently down his cheeks.

* * *

Again, they glided across the floor and Clark held Lois close as the music drifted past them. She had her head resting against his chest and his hearing was tuned in to the beat of her heart. As they danced he told her about Lucy's call, feeling guilty about Jason's sadness, but Clark also knew they needed this time alone.

Hearing about her sister's struggle to get Jason to bed wasn't anything that surprised Lois. She knew from times past that Jason would have done this, and was glad that Clark was able to help out. "Are you sure he did what she asked?"

Clark held her closer and for a minute he didn't say anything He waited and finally heard the steady beat of his son's heart from across town. "He's almost asleep," Clark replied. This slow dance was a chance for him to get closer and as she rested her head against his chest, Clark placed a kiss on the top of her head. This time when the dance ended, Clark led Lois up a flight of stairs, and into an alley where he pulled her into his arms. "Close your eyes," he said, and when she did he lifted off of the ground and floated them into the clouds, and above them. "Now open them."

Lois looked around and found that they were both bathed in soft moonlight, dancing on the clouds. "You know how to sweep a girl off her feet," she commented, as she looked into his eyes.

Clark looked back at her with longing. "I would do more than that if you would allow it," he offered. He heard her heart begin to beat faster, and smiled when she looked back up at him.

"By the time we get Jason in bed, and take care of the dog…" His lips on hers silenced her, and in a moment they were flying in the night air at speeds she couldn't even imagine.

They flew down below the clouds, and in only twenty minutes time they were in the place where it had all begun, The Fortress of Solitude. "Jason," she said surprised he had brought them so far.

"I will go back and check on them, it won't take me long."

Lois knew he wouldn't be long, and accepted the hand that he offered. She walked by his side as he led her through a crystal passage and into the bed chamber. Lois sat down on the bed watching him as he stood still for a moment.

"Wait here," Clark said as he leaned down to give her a kiss. Lois noticed how dark it all was, and as she sat on the bed, she heard rumbling. She wrapped her arms around her front, and rubbed her upper arms with her hands. Something bright flashed, and she shut her eyes remembering the boat and Lex Luther. When she opened her eyes the once dull chamber was now lit by a soft glow. Clark was still gone, but Lois knew that he needed to return to Metropolis to make sure Jason was safe, and to tell her sister that they would not be home until morning.

Lois was deep in thought when she saw a shadow on the wall just outside of the bed chamber. When he appeared at the entry his hair was tousled, and Lois knew it was likely from the speed he had traveled from her to Metropolis and back again.

For a moment Clark stood still. Lois was perfect, and the love he felt for her had grown since his return. Silently he walked over to her and held out his hands.

When he took her hand, Lois stood up about to ask what he had done with the crystals, when his lips pressed lightly against hers. Needing more than just the feather light kisses he was pressing against her lips, Lois reached behind him with both of her hands and pulled his head closer, deepening the kiss. Her mouth parted as his did and their tongues met in a familiar dance.

As Lois raked her hands through his hair, Clark moved his hands from around her shoulders in a downward motion, gliding them over her arms. He broke the kiss, and trailed more to her chin and lower to her neck. Clark kissed and nibbled his way around her neck to her left ear, following the actions he had taken earlier in their bed room. He nibbled against her lobe as she gasped out his name. His hands had moved down her hips and had worked the red silk dress up both sides of her legs.

Clark's strong hands moving up her silk stockings and his lips trailing their way back to the front of her neck drove the breath from her. Lois felt warmth spreading from her center moving down. When he pressed one of his hands against her bottom, pulling her against his hardened form, Lois shut her eyes feeling the emptiness she had felt those five years he had been gone melt away. Her fingers were still tangled in his hair, but she slowly moved them away sliding them between their bodies as she began to unfasten the buttons on his shirt.

When Clark felt her hands move against his bare chest, he moved a step away from her. Both of them were out of breath and suddenly the suit he wore and the dress she had on became too much of an obstacle between them. Clark stepped toward her reaching behind her to pull the zipper down on her dress. He groaned as she moved her hands down his chest pressing one up against his hardened form. The confines of the slacks he had on became painfully tight and as Clark finished unzipping the dress he sighed in relief as she un-buttoned and unzipped his slacks.

The two lovers wasted no time disrobing of their confining clothing. They stood still for a brief moment before they moved together. When the touch of their hands and lips were not enough, Clark lifted Lois into his arms cradling her against his bare muscled chest as he looked down into her brown eyes. He saw her love for him there, mirroring his own love for her. He leaned in and took her lips in a gentle kiss while at the same time leaning down to place her on the bed.

Lois's breath caught as he broke the kiss and her heart began to beat faster as Clark moved his body over top of hers. She felt the tip of his solid length pressing against her nether lips, and spread her legs apart in open invitation.

* * *

The sound of keys jingling in the door, and the fact that it was getting bright outside, alerted Lucy that her sister was finally home. The younger woman stood up and stretched, and was getting Scruffy into his color when they came inside. "Nice of you guys to finally show up," she said in a light teasing tone. Jason had not made a peep since he went to bed and she was glad that Lois had gone out, even if she did spend all night out on the town.

"Lucy, I owe you one," Lois replied, as she hugged her sister. She smiled as Clark walked with her out to her sister out to her car. Once he was out the door Lois shut it and went to check on her baby.

Jason and Lucky were still in their bed, and when Lois kissed him, he sighed but remained asleep. Gently, she lifted her son into her arms, cradling him against her chest as she slipped out of her heals. Jason whimpered, but quieted when she kissed his head, and swayed with him for a moment. When she was sure he would stay asleep, Lois walked out of the room, just as Clark arrived. She waited by Jason's bed as Clark pulled the covers down and as Lois put him down, Jason cried out. "Shh, shh," Lois crooned as she sat down on the edge of his bed, and rubbed his back.

"I'm thirsty," Jason whispered, trying to keep his eyes open.

Clark had disappeared but arrived back with a glass of cool water. Lois helped him sit up, as Clark held the glass to his lips and once he had taken a few sips Jason pushed it away.

"I want to sleep with you and Daddy," he told them, and in a moment he was in his daddy's strong arms.

While Jason rested in their bed, Lois changed in the bathroom, and when she walked out she settled in bed as her baby snuggled up in her arms. Clark joined them wearing just his pajama bottoms, and snuggled up until he was able to hold onto both of them. Long after they went to sleep he watched over them and for the first time since he found out he was a father, Kal-El felt like he finally belonged right where he was.

* * *

**AN:** I expanded on the scene at the Fortress of Solitude, and did a some editing. This story is Continued in Trials and Tribulations. Thanks goes out to both my editors, Beeto and Mr Firenze for keeping me on track. Thanks also to all those who read and keep up. Feel free to Review.

_Eviefan_


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